Mother with terminal cancer seeking $350,000 in child support

On behalf of Kirk Montoute Dawson LLP posted in Family Law on Tuesday, December 17, 2013.

Alberta residents may have heard about a Victoria mother who is seeking more than $350,000 in back child support to provide for her children and their education. The child support was ordered when the mother and the children’s father divorced in Chicago. The father was ordered to pay $6,800 every month, but the mother says that the support stopped once they moved to Canada.

The mother previously fought breast cancer and is now diagnosed with terminal stage four cancer. She was told that she only has two years to live, but her worst fear is that she will die and leave her children financially unprotected. While in Chicago, the father was not paying support, so the mother had his wages garnished after she hired a lawyer. Her results have not been as good in Canada, but she is hoping that making her story public will help her find the father of her children and receive the support that they are due.

The mother reported that every time she asks for answers about why her ex-husband is not paying court-ordered support, she is told to wait 30 days, which is the answer that she has been given for the last three years. Neither the British Columbia office that has the woman’s file nor the Ontario office, which is supposed to go after the father because that is where he is believed to be living, have been successful in getting funds from the father. However, the man’s passport and driver’s licence were cancelled.

Individuals who have court-ordered support but who are not receiving it may decide to retain the services of a family lawyer who may be able to have the other parent’s wages garnished or an asset attached to a judgment. This may help the custodial parent to provide for his or her children.

Source: Global news, “Ex-husband owes Victoria woman dying of cancer $350,000 in child support payments“, Paula Baker, December 03, 2013

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