Many California parents use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. Some do so to keep up with their technologically-savvy kids, while others use it to keep in touch with their own family and social contacts. Different parents have different levels of comfort about what they share, ranging from personal family photos to infrequent and non-existent status update posts.
Some parents, however, have sabotaged their own efforts to avoid making court-ordered child support payments by posting comments and photographs that demonstrate their financial solvency. One father who had failed to provide child support to his cancer-stricken toddler posted information related to his financial status that the courts have used as evidence to charge him with a felony. Another delinquent father posted images of himself in which he was holding large quantities of money and he too was pursued by the district attorney of his community.
These stories are a good reminder of not only how far social media’s reach can extend but also the fact that information shared on social media can be used as evidence in child support proceedings. Raising a child can be an expensive endeavor and courts follow their mandates to determine just how much money it will take to provide a child with a suitable existence. When they learn that parents are shirking those responsibilities the consequences can be dire.
Though many parents excel at fulfilling their child support obligations, others look for opportunities to avoid their court-ordered duties. Custodial parents who believe their former partners are erroneously avoiding child support payments may wish to speak with their family law attorneys about the deficiencies. The everyday expenses of raising a child can add up and children have the right to receive the child support payments ordered for them by the courts.
Source: WGNTV.com, “Social media busts parents who avoided child support,” July 17, 2014
