Child Support
Establishing or modifying child support affects both the person obligated to pay support and the person receiving support.
From 2010 – 2020 Attorney Garner served as the Senior Attorney for the Cumberland County Child Support Enforcement Agency. She represented the County in thousands of cases where the parentage of minor children was established, monthly child support amounts were established, or the current amount of court-ordered child support was modified based upon a change of circumstances.
She is also well versed in UIFSA/Interstate Child Support cases and would be glad to help you understand how other States’ Child Support Orders can affect you here in North Carolina.
Whether you have been asked to pay child support or you are seeking child support from the other parent, allow her years of child support experience to now serve you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support
We were married but we both know that child isn’t mine. I’m not going to court. Why should I need an attorney?
Ignoring any court action and court hearing is never wise. Failing to raise defenses and request paternity testing where appropriate could result in 18+ years of child support payments for a child “we both know isn’t mine.”
Our years of experience in the child support arena are your gain. Knowing what defenses may be available, what motions can be filed, and how the North Carolina Statutes affect your set of facts at the outset of your case can save you years of turmoil. We would be glad to assist you in your child support matter.
They keep trying to use some of my military benefits/entitlements as part of my income when calculating child support. Are they allowed to do that?
Income is broadly defined in our North Carolina Statutes and case law and may include money that you might not consider to be income to you. Schedule a consultation with Attorney Garner to discuss what monies, expenses, and what information is and is not relevant in a child support proceeding so you can have an understanding of what your child support obligation may be. Be prepared with the knowledge of what the courts have the ability to consider in the calculation of child support.
I had an order of child support for my two children. One of them turned 18, so I can just cut my child support amount in half now, right?
Wrong. Just because one of your children turned age 18, does not mean that your child support obligation is automatically cut in half. Contact us so we can discuss what may occur when one child turns 18 or graduates from high school, and the steps that are available for you to take for your child support to be re-evaluated. The court will not automatically re-adjust your child support obligation; call us to discuss your options.