Our Services

Illinois Divorce and Family Law Weblog

Helping You and Your Family get through DivorceSM.
Weblog of DuPage County Attorney Raiford D. Palmer, focusing on divorce and family law.
(Copyright© 2005-2008 by Raiford D. Palmer. All rights reserved.) This blog is for advertising only and the contents are not legal advice.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Child Support Arrearages -- Unpaid Child Support Will Not Go Away!

In a recent decision by the Illinois Appellate Court, known as In Re Saputo, the Court held that there is no statute of limitations for unpaid child support claims. In that case, the wife/mother sought $375,530 based on a support obligation that began in 1966 at $30 a week! The Court held that no state of limitations prevented the claim.

Bottom line: pay your support on time. Every missed or short payment is a separate judgment against the support payor and piles up interest at 9% per year! If you lost your job or make less money than when support was determined, you must still pay the old support amount until YOU go to court and get a reduction or abatement. That interest is what made the $30/week turn into almost $400,000 in the Saputo case. For people entitled to support - don't think that you can't pursue child support if a long time has passed. Your claim is still valid. More importantly, lawyers can take these cases on contingency fees - meaning you pay nothing to the lawyer if no money is collected.

Please call 630.434.0400 Ext. 165 to speak to attorney Raiford Palmer.

posted by Raiford Palmer at 9:57 AM