A number of objections abound in regard to child support issues. One of the more prevalent ones is that the amounts ordered by courts in California and around the country are sometimes too high. This often arises when a celebrity is involved.
One example is the amount that One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson has been ordered to pay the mother of their child. The monthly payment is reportedly in the high five figures, more than the annual income of many Americans. However, when courts order support, one thing that they attempt to do is ensure that the children enjoy close to the same lifestyle that they would have had if their parents had stayed together. In this case, Tomlinson is estimated to have a net worth approaching $50 million.
There are other criticisms of the child support system that are often voiced as well. One is that recipients are not obligated to spend the amounts on their children, and it is true that there is no mechanism to track if they are doing so. However, in most cases custodial parents in fact do use the money in the way that it was intended, paying for food, clothing and extracurricular activities for their kids.
A failure to honor a child support order can lead to serious circumstances for the obligor. Non-custodial parents could lose their driver’s and professional licenses, have their paychecks garnished and in some cases be sent to jail. However, there are situations where parents who have every intention to honor their obligations suddenly become unable to do so, for reasons like a loss of a job or an unanticipated medical expense. In such a case, one step could be to speak with an attorney about the possibility of going to court and seeking a modification of the order.