Each state, including California, has its own guidelines regarding court-ordered financial provisions for children. Child support is often a high priority topic in divorce; however, many cases also involve parents who were never married to each other. Parents who are wanted for delinquency in payments may wind up having their photos and personal information published online.
The court recognizes that life conditions sometimes change in such ways that parents who have been making timely child support payments may no longer be able to keep up. Perhaps, a parent has lost a job or has become ill and unable to work. There is a process in place for a parent to request modification of an existing court order.
Not paying support or disregarding the law regarding the modification petition process is definitely frowned upon by family court judges. While some people might think that publishing photos, identification information and specific details regarding how much a particular parent owes in child support is an invasion of privacy, others say all is fair when a parent is failing in his or her moral and legal obligation to provide financial supplement for children as ordered by the court. Assembly bill 1498 addresses this issue in California; if it passes, the Department of Child Support Services plans to launch a website featuring photos and information regarding parents being held in arrears who have failed to make payments in six months’ time.
On either side of this issue, a concerned California parent can benefit from legal counsel. A custodial parent who is frustrated because a co-parent is disregarding a court order can request a meeting to learn how to resolve the issue. A obligor parent who is having trouble making payments may request legal support to file a modification petition.