ENOUGH IS ENOUGH -- THE RESISTANCE BEGINS HERE!

CASE HISTORIES

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This page is a compilation of correspondence from readers of this website. It contains stories of suffering and government abuse which goes ignored by the mainstream media."

With these case histories, we mean to create and make public a record of the widespread injustices of America's family law system. For the first time, NCPForce! is giving a voice to divorced dads and other non-custodial parents whose lives have been ruined by impartial laws, corrupt and abusive judges, and discrimination at all levels of our society.

The following case histories have been drawn from visitor correspondence via our web pages (from those correspondents who have given us permission to share their stories).

To tell us your story, please fill out our convenient form.

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To find personal stories from your area, please click on the state abbreviation links below.

AZ | DE | FL | NY | MI | NM | OH | TX |

Arizona

"The state of Arizona has ordered $40,000 in arrears and $18,000 for repayment of TANF. They are charging me $689 monthly, $400 in arrears monthly. They also are garnishing my check and my income taxes. I have lost several jobs because I could not afford to go to work. They are charging me $1,091 a month even though I took proof of making $1,062 a month in income. They refuse to hold the mother accountable for perjury or give me parenting time adjustments. I cannot afford a lawyer and they know it. They keep sending me correspondence telling me they are going to seize my car and jail me if I don't pay. They are only doing this because i filed grievances against them and I cannot afford a lawyer."

-- MTS

Delaware

" I am a Vietnam veteran and I was recently in a homeless veteran's shelter, disabled by a broken heel and working as best I could. I had been out of work for almost a year recuperating and found work with some temp agencies. Needless to say my back child support from two marriages caught up with me and I found myself before the judge. I explained my circumstances: that I was homeless and in a shelter, and that this was the reason I was behind on support. I also explained that I still wasn't certain that one of the children was really mine. The judge informed me that if I came back to his court I would be put in jail and he raised my commitment from $160 a month to $250. I'm still homeless."

-- CE

Florida

"First they set my support too high and then when I fell behind they took my license. Now I can't get a job without a license and keep falling further behind. I want to pay but can't work. What do they want, for me to go to jail or ruin me forever? If I can't get a job I can't pay!"

-- MM

Michigan

"I'm a military reservist and I didn't get served the order for child support (originating in Virginia) until 3 years after the order was established. When I contacted Virginia child support authorities, they told me that it was too late to do anything about it unless I came to Virginia, which was impossible. I had no car, no money and no credit because they tagged my credit with the support order. I haven't been able to keep or get a job because of this. Now I owe $10,000 in back child support. My credit is ruined so I can't get a loan to pay it. I can't travel for better work because I don't have a car, or the credit, or money to get one. I've lost 6 jobs in 4 years because of lay offs and the economy. Right now I barely have enough to feed my 4-year-old son from a second marriage. My current wife and I aren't eating well and child support authorities told me "they don't care". I'm about to lose my job as a reservist because I can't travel to do it. I'm behind in rent. Utilities are about to be cut. My wife can't work because she is Canadian and so is my son, and even though he is my flesh and blood, I cannot even get food stamps just for him. My ex has cut off access to my other children. I'm about to end up homeless, jobless, and I don't know what to do anymore."

-- PG

New Mexico

"The amount I was ordered to pay per month exceeds the wages I earn each month since I am a stay at home dad taking care of my new wife & my son; I work at night on a part-time basis as a delivery driver. On numerous occasions, I have called into NM Child Support Enforcement Division to have an adjustment completed to reflect my current earnings, but nothing has ever been adjusted. I have even notified my employer immediately to have 50% of each paycheck withheld for child support. I have been told by my case worker" that as long as I continue to have my wages withheld, my license will not be suspended. But On August 2007, I was on a delivery when I was stopped by a police officer and was told that I was driving on a suspended license. I had to call my case worker" and was sent a letter to take to the motor vehicles department to have my license reinstated since it had been suspended in error. I still had to show up at court later that month and had court fees to pay for it. Overall, the fines and reinstatement fees cost me over $100.00 for an error made by CSED, not me. Well, just this past Friday, I was picking our eldest son up from school and was stopped by the police officer who told me my license was suspended at the end of March. Here we go again. I couldn't work all weekend without a license. When I called child support, they advised me my license wasn't suspended and that I would need to call the Motor Vehicles Department. They confirmed my license was suspended with the same date as the police officer stated. When I called child support back, I was told my license was suspended because of $600.00 in arrears. This person became belligerent saying that if I made my payments on a timely basis, this wouldn't happen. How can I pay more timely when my wages are garnished? What makes this even more messed up is the fact my daughter, who I'm paying support for because she receives state-funded medical coverage, is 17-years-old and isn't even living with her mother. She lives with her boyfriend in a separate state."

-- JRDL

New York

"I became unemployed and fell into arrears and later lost my driver's license. Because of this, I was unable to search for work, and had to skip enrolling at the community college to seek new job training because I live in a rural area, and the school is quite far. It's so bad, I even had to turn down a delivery job a friend offered me recently and now I am living at my parents' home trying to figure out what to do with my life. Meanwhile, my ex moved our daughter out of state and I haven't seen her in years."

-- LukeC.

"I have a settlement with my ex I have been paying. Part of the settlement states that there is not to be any enforcement. Not only are they enforcing, but I had a great job terminate me after they recieved a garnishment saying I'm a dead beat dad. They constantly garner wages, bank accounts, anything they can get their hands on. They claim it's arrears, but the agreement was to settle the arrears. I have written the judge, the child support agency, and all involved to no avail. I have had it with the abuse. How can I save the money for the settlement if I cant keep a job and a bank account?"

-- JR

Ohio

"I am poor! When my children were born in Ohio, I made decent money as a drywall hanger and worked hard for my money. She decided to cheat on me 10 years ago and my life has been hell since then! Many times I have tried to contact the Ohio support office to have my support lowered, but my calls are never returned! I live in a poor state, where minimum wage is the norm. I can't work! Jobs around here pay $5.85 a hour. With my support coming out we would lose $500 a month and would bring home like $200! I would do the right thing if it were within my means. I am deadbroke not a deadbeat!"

--Ron

Texas

"My ex-wife signed a writ to stop all child support because my 17-year-old son dropped out of school and moved to San Antonio. We took the writ to the Brown county clerk's office and had the paper signed by the judge. They in turn sent this copy to the Attorney General's office. My place of employment stopped taking child support out of my check due to the writ. Three weeks later, they faxed something to my employer and started taking it back out again by overriding the judge's orders and without contacting me first. They also started penalizing me for it too, so now my child support has gone up. I keep getting letters from them that I'm over $2000 behind and that Christmas is coming, and that I need to "think about my child". Also, they asked the IRS to garnish my tax return. They are robbing me of my life. I have two kids here at home, 11 & 7 years old, with my new wife. We can barely afford food and live in a very small house. My ex lives in a nice brick home and drives a new truck. My lawyer made me pay him $500.00 for some sort of paper, and everytime I call him he says just wait. Please someone help me before I lose my mind."

-- VJ

Due to unemployment, underemployment, and other factors beyond my control over a period of several years, I fell behind in my child support obligations. Since then, my ex-wife and I have come to an arrangement to repay those arrearages, and I am actively paying her $500 per month towards them. This has not stopped the state of Florida (where she lives) and the Federal government from denying me the right to travel abroad. This has caused much anguish to myself and my new wife; it prevented us from going on our honeymoon to Cancun, and cost us hundreds of dollars in cancellation fees when we had to cancel our reservations to go there. Also, while it hasn't yet officially happened, I fear not having a passport is going to prevent me from gaining a particular job I want. This job, which would be a huge boost to my career, would require some international travel throughout the Americas. As I was laid off only a few weeks ago, I'll be in danger of falling in arrears even further, losing my home to foreclosure, and losing my wife due to the stress of it all."

-- W

Due to child support arrears, I've been arrested three times on two jobs and have lost both jobs, even though they were taking money out of my paycheck for support. I've lost my second marriage, and I've been homeless for 2 years, sleeping in my truck or in motels. My children are adults, 21 and 19, and they still wont lower my child support. I make $9.00 dollars an hour because I can't drive anymore trucks because of the bad name I have for getting arrested on child support and the companies having to come get their truck out of impound. And they're still taking $500 a month from me leaving me to live on $728 a month to survive. I've been stripped of everything. I just lost my car because I can't afford to pay that, and insurance, and still live. I don't know how I'm gonna get to and from work, because the bus starts only stops here at certain times. I don't even have nothing to pawn anymore. I can't afford a lawyer. Please help me I'm begging you. My children were supposed to be a blessing; instead they were used as an instrument for revenge, a tool to send me to jail at will, and as a withdrawal slip to get money. My ex was the one who left me for another man."

-- JT

ABOUT NCP FORCE! (Non-Custodial Parents Force)

Our organization is a non-profit, grassroots action organization dedicated to reforming America's family law system.

While we frequently refer to divorced fathers, who overwhelmingly bear the brunt of abuses in the family law system, we champion the cause of all non-custodial parents, be they unwed fathers, non-custodial mothers, grandparents, or assigned parentage fathers (men who are held responsible for parentage despite the fact that they are not biological fathers).

Unlike many other family law websites which claim to help divorced dads and NCP's, we will never ask our visitors for money or donations. We also do not charge for, or offer legal services. Instead we provide a virtual base of operations, forum, and information clearing house for visitors to help themselves free of charge.

Learn more about joining the NCP Force! It's free and no personal questions will be asked unless you wish to share your family law experiences with us.