When a couple in Illinois chooses to end their marriage, they likely want nothing more than to go their separate ways and begin their news lives. However, those with children will have to continue to work together to ensure that the needs of their children are met. Unfortunately, a politician in another state is now accused by his ex-wife of failing to pay child support.
Court papers claim that a judge ordered the Republican state representative to pay $280 in monthly child support for the child in Dec. 2012. His ex-wife claims that he has not paid any payments since that time. According to her, he owes her $20,160 in child support, not including interest, and $6,500 in medical expenses, which prompted her to file a lawsuit with the Department of Human Services.
However, the man disputes the claims. He argues that he and his ex-wife came to an alternate verbal agreement in 2014, but he made court-ordered payments until that time. According to a statement released by his attorney, they agreed that he would forgo paying the child support payments but would instead pay substantially more than legally required. He claims that he has, in fact, paid more than $250,000 in the past four years. His mistake, he claims, was putting trust into a verbal agreement.
Most people in Illinois and across the country would agree that raising children is expensive and difficult to do as a single parent. As such, a parent is often ordered to make child support payments. If the father’s claim is true, it emphasizes the importance of ensuring that all agreements are in writing. An attorney with experience with such cases can help ensure that any agreement is properly documented and enforceable to prevent conflict such as this in the future.