Any advice?

[Shanon]

Hi, I'm new here and just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Shanon I am a single mom of 4 children ages ranging from 8 to 16. My boyfriend of 11yrs, and I separated in May when he told me to get out of the house. Two weeks after moving out he moved his girlfriend and her three kids in. In the 11yrs we were together, I was a stay at home mom while he started up his own construction company. Now, here I sit, no current job skills, no financial support becouse even though he is ordered to pay, he is refusing to do so, and we are still trying to get the visitation schedule set after months of battling in court. I have been advised by my attorney to file for Meretricious Realationship, which would basically be the same thing as getting divorced and we would be entitled to half of whatever the two of us incurred during our realationship. The problem is is that he is lying about his income, lying on his taxes, and I can't prove it. Child Support Enforcement is saying that they can take money out of his bank account but they also said that he is not showing up on any bank account in Washington State, he says he hasn't closed them. They also tried to get money from some of the companies that he subcontracts for but they are saying he isn't working for them anymore, even though I know he is doing a job for them right now. I am lost, I don't know what to do, and no matter how many times I try and tell myself to think positive, it seems like I am walking through fog. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

[jebri]

That is really a tough situation you're in. But, if he is refusing to pay child support, I think you can talk to someone about wage garnishing. Even if he is lying about how much he's making, the courts can remove a certain amount from his earnings as child support. I'm not entirely sure how it works, you'd have to talk to a lawyer about that, but wage garnishing exists for situations where a person is ordered to pay child support and won't do it voluntarily. I believe this money is taking directly from his paycheck as it's processed for taxes or whatever before it's given to him, so even if it doesn't show up as him having any bank accounts, it should still get deducted from his check. At least this is how I understand it. But it's worth looking into.

[JTulo]

I agree. It is definitely is worth looking into. The system is put in place to help moms get the help they need from the child's father. Take advantage of all the resources you have. You may not want to do this, but there are options about hiring people to look into situations like this. It might be worth it to get an investigator. You're entitled to some help in this situation. Good luck!