When couples bring a child into this world, they are taking on a number of responsibilities, one of which is adequately supporting that child financially. Parents in Pennsylvania who are behind on their child support payments may want to think about doing whatever is necessary to catch up. A dentist in another state found out just how serious the court is about ensuring children get the financial child support they deserve.
The dentist has a 4-year-old daughter with his ex-wife, and he has fallen behind on his child support payments. An investigation shows he is facing two lawsuits: one for a loan default and the other by a disgruntled patient. Because of a statute the state strictly enforces and because of his lack of payments, his license has been suspended and his practice has closed.
The state in which he practices has a statute that says professionals who are paying less than half of what they owe each month and who are over six months behind in their payments could have their practicing licenses suspended, revoked or denied until they are in compliance. This also applies to those who have received legal notices and have failed to comply with the directives. Around 50 professional careers are affected by the statute.
Laws of this type are needed for those who may be financially secure yet feel no obligation to support their offspring. However an argument can be made that cutting off their only source of revenue would make them further incapable of providing child support. Because the laws vary in each state, those in Pennsylvania encountering similar circumstances may want to research their options to avoid such severe penalties.
Source: dailycamera.com, “State shuts down Boulder dentist over failure to pay child support“, Charlie Brennan, June 11, 2015
