Social media is now being used to go after parents in California and around the country who are not paying their child support. The pictures and messages posted by these parents can be clues as to whether they really cannot afford to pay their mandated support or if they simply are choosing to ignore their responsibilities.
In one case, one individual is facing felony charges after the individual posted messages boasting about the amount of take-home pay, while the former spouse complained that only the minimum amount of support had been paid to assist with their child’s leukemia treatment costs over the last three and a half years. Another individual, who posted pictures holding a lot of cash, paid support only once. A third one bought a music studio instead of paying support. The information on these individuals’ social media accounts resulted in charges for not paying the correct amount of child support.
According to one assistant district attorney, the information revealed through social media accounts is making a big impact on support cases because it is an easy way to see which parents actually have resources to pay their support and which do not. And it seems that some of these parents who are able to pay think that no one is paying attention to their social media accounts so that the information revealed through these will not affect their lives.
Parents who do not pay their mandated child support in California can face very serious consequences. Simply not paying court-ordered support might show that the parent is in contempt of court and lead to punishments that can include jail time and wage garnishments. Additionally, unpaid child support can also affect a parent’s credit score. When a parent’s ability to pay changes, it is recommended that a formal modification to the support order is made through the courts.
Source: Opposing Views, “Fathers Face Charges For Avoiding Child Support, Bragging About Money On Facebook “, Sarah Fruchtnicht, July 17, 2014
