When a California family court judge issues an order regarding child custody, financial issues or visitation, the parents involved must fully adhere to its terms. Under certain circumstances, the court may grant modification of a court order, such as if a parent who has been paying child support loses his or her job, then requests that payments be temporarily paused until he or she is gainfully employed again. There are legal steps to take to request modification. A parent cannot simply stop making payments.
Film producer Damon Dash has been making headlines because of his personal financial problems. Dash is the father of several children from different mothers, and has reportedly failed to pay court-ordered child support to provide for his children’s needs. When Dash was recently leaving a courthouse where he was allegedly paying a million dollar debt, he wound up in handcuffs when police approached him outside.
Dash was reportedly taken into custody because of unpaid child support. He may owe as much as $400,000 in total. Police are said to have escorted Dash to another location before taking him to jail so that he could pay off another debt, which he said he had intended to do when he exited the courthouse.
A California court can rule a parent to be in contempt if he or she does not pay court-ordered child support. Such cases can lead to jail time. If a custodial parent is currently facing legal problems because a co-parent is not obeying a court order, he or she can request a meeting with an experienced family law attorney to learn more about how to resolve the issue.