Miami parents who are going through or have gone through divorce know that the support of children is an important matter. Deciding on child support can be an emotional and stressful endeavor, and after papers have been filed, circumstances may require child support modification. In any case, simply not paying child support that is ordered by divorce papers is never a good idea, and it can lead to serious consequences that include jail time.
For a man in another state, owing a large amount of back child support has resulted in a judge’s order against further procreation. According to reports, the man owes almost $100,000 in child support payments. A judge sentenced the man to five years probation, during which the man is not allowed to have any more children as a condition of the probation.
According to reports, the judge said the prohibition against procreation automatically lifts if the man makes good on the child support he owes. The man is supposed to work toward paying off the child support total.
The defendant appealed the judge’s sentence. According to reports, the appeals court upheld the sentence, including the ban on having other children. However, the court ruled in favor that the sentence was not a way to approve of the judge’s measures. Instead, say the appellate judges, there was insufficient evidence to rule on the merits of the case. According to the court, a proper ruling required a copy of a pre-sentence report, which details the man’s background.
If the judge’s sentence in this case continues to stand, it could set a precedent for major changes in how courts deal with child support issues. In the meantime, moms and dads struggling with child support payments should seek legal relief through modification agreements or negotiations before abandoning payments altogether.
Source: ABC 22, “Ohio Court Upholds Judge’s No-Procreation Order” No author given, May. 14, 2014