questions & answers

Question: My ex left to Mexico before our daughter was born. Came back only once to see her and has been MIA for almost 2 years now. He is hiding out in Mexico with his new partner to avoid child support and hasn’t even tried to check in on her in all this time but he pays for his other child and possibly checks in on him as well. so it’s just mine he has cut all ties with. Is this grounds for charges? If so, how would I go about that?

Answer: You do not tell me if legal paternity has been established.  Were the two of  you married at the time of the child's birth?  Did you both sign the affidavit of paternity and put his name on the birth certificate?  If legal paternity has been established, was child support? Enforcing a child support order outside of the U.S. is far from easy. You need to sit down with an attorney and go over all your documents, paternity information, divorce papers, child support orders, whatever you have.  There are three programs in Arizona that you can use to get inexpensive legal advice and guidance.  One is the modest means program.  You will need to apply for the program and meet the financial qualifications.  Once you are qualified, Modest Means will send you a list of attorneys whose practice covers your area of concern.  You select a lawyer from the list and will be entitled to a one hour consultation for $75.  If you need additional help and if the lawyer agrees to take your case, the most you will be charged is $75 per hours.  the telephone number is (866) 637-5341.  Both Maricopa County and Pima County have lawyer referral programs that offer a 30 minute consult with an attorney.  Maricopa County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute consult with an experienced attorney for $40.  The telephone number is  (602) 257-4434.  Pima County's Lawyer Referral Service offers a 30 minute attorney consult for $35.  The telephone number is (520) 623-4625.