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The Consequences of Unpaid Child Support

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What happens when one parent isn't paying child support that has already been ordered by the family courts in the state of Texas?

A number of things could happen, but Support Collectors asserts that a judge could sentence a nonpaying parent to jail in some extreme situations. This might happen to San Angelo resident Frederick Merril Jessop, who is currently in a feud with a woman who is the mother of his eight children.

The San Angelo Standard-Times reports that Carolyn Jessop claims that Mr. Frederick Merril Jessop owes her $170,000 in child support payments. The couple had established an agreement last September, but the order was not put in writing. Now Ms. Jessop has hired a Texas family attorney to put together a written child support agreement that is enforceable.

"He can either pay what he owes, or he can be held in jail until he does pay," her Texas family attorney Natalie Malonis told the San Angelo Standard-Times.

Texas Family Code 157.261 says that interest can be charged on missed child support payments in the state of Texas. The Child Support Division of the Attorney General's Office is the official child support enforcement agency in Texas.

Any custodial parent not receiving child support payments that are under the terms of an order from a court or government agency can contact a child support collection agency or get a Texas family attorney to help with filing a case. Legal steps can be made in order to ensure that child support payments are being properly made.

Related Resources:

  • Unpaid Child Support and Enforcement  (FindLaw)
  • Getting Your Spouse to Pay Child Support FAQ (FindLaw)
  • Texas Family Attorney Directory (FindLaw)

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