Family Law Lifeline

Posted on February 10, 2008 by John Steele

Complying with a court order, or any legal agreement/obligation for that matter, is not enough.  You have to be able to prove you complied.  Why is it that people forget this simple rule.  It seems obvious to me.  Let’s propose a simple hypo: You are ordered to pay child support in the amount of 1000 dollars a month. You pay it on time in cash every month to the spouse for one year.  The spouse takes it, thanks you, and doesn’t write out a receipt.  How much support did you pay at the end of the year?

Answer=$0.00

Sure the ex-spouse may testify that they got the money, and does not want the court to force the ex to pay the $12,000 again.  Right.  Back to reality .  .  .

On a related note, do not create bad paper trails.  By this I mean nasty emails or other correspondence that forces your attorney to have to defend stupid comments made in the heat of a divorce.

In summary, you want proof that you are complying with the court and do not want proof that you are a jerk. Easy right? Posted on February 10, 2008 by John Steele

Complying with a court order, or any legal agreement/obligation for that matter, is not enough. You have to be able to prove you complied. Why is it that people forget this simple rule. It seems obvious to me. Let's propose a simple hypo: You are ordered to pay child support in the amount of 1000 dollars a month. You pay it on time in cash every month to the spouse for one year. The spouse takes it, thanks you, and doesn’t write out a receipt. How much support did you pay at the end of the year?

Answer=$0.00

Sure the ex-spouse may testify that they got the money, and does not want the court to force the ex to pay the $12,000 again. Right. Back to reality . . .

On a related note, do not create bad paper trails. By this I mean nasty emails or other correspondence that forces your attorney to have to defend stupid comments made in the heat of a divorce.

In summary, you want proof that you are complying with the court and do not want proof that you are a jerk. Easy right?

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