Lexington Family Law

Go see the movie Amazing Grace. Not much in the way of action, but it kept my attention and was very inspiring.

I recieve more questions about child support than almost any other topic so I thought I would condense the information down regarding a few recurring themes. First, the very best legal advise I have regarding child support is this: pay it. And if there is some situation truly beyond your control that prevents full payment, pay some of it and let the child support office or court know what is going on. You can, and many people do, go to jail over non-payment of child support.

Second, do not equate child support and visitation. If you are denied access to your child for visits, you still MUST pay child support. Conversely, if you are owed child support, do NOT withhold contact between the other parent and your child as a means to get even or force payment. The damage done to the child cannot be outweighed by the unpaid support. Child support and visitation are two separate issues that courts are usually very careful to consider indepenently. The statute for restricting visitation allows for time sharing to only be curtailed if the visits seriously endanger the wellbeing of the child; it does not allow for restricting visits over non-payment.

Third, once a child support payment has accrued (become due), nothing will erase it. Even if your parental rights are terminated, voluntarily or involuntarily, the already accrued child support will continue to have to be paid. The termination only stops new payments from coming due.

Fourth, and this is an important thing to know about child support - PAY IT! (I know, this was actually #1, but it bears repeating). Do not waste time fuming about how you think the other parent is using it to go out and party. You helped bring this child into the world and child support is a basic responsibility. You cannot control exactly what that money is spent on, but you can be sure that without the child support, your child would be going through life with less of the things they need to thrive.

This is a fantastic resource for the numerous grandparents who are raising their second generation - their grandchildren. There is a Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference taking place tomorrow, 3/20, at Centenary United Methodist Church. The Grandparents As Parents organization offers support and information to grandparents facing the unexpected challenges of being parents all over again.

Happy Thanksgiving from Troutman & Hays!

Troutman & Hays has published a quarterly newsletter for their clients and friends for some time.  They offered educational information on various areas of law and also a bit of trivia on the origina and meaning of words and phrases.  The firm is growing and offering a more comprehensive array of services.  To keep up with this growth, this blog is dedicated to providing even more commentary and information on developing areas of Kentucky law.