Minnesota child support cases can be contentious and difficult. In some instances, there are unusual circumstances surrounding them. In others, they will be high-profile and the participants will not only have to deal with the details of the support agreement and monthly payments, but also the pressure that comes with public knowledge of the ongoing proceedings. Regardless of the situation surrounding the child support, those who are in the midst of a dispute must make certain that they are protected under the law.
A woman who is in jail on a variety of charges and is receiving public assistance has been ordered to pay $975 in child support. The judge made the decision in spite of the woman being incarcerated for having kept her two daughters in hiding for more than two years. While she is in jail, the payments will be suspended. The judge in the case made the decision based on the woman’s monthly income being more than $4,100 as recently as 2014 when she worked as a flight attendant. Since being jailed in October of 2015, she has not been able to work. The basis of the ruling is that the woman will be able to return to being a flight attendant when she is released.
The woman claimed that although she has not lost her job, she could not work because she was awaiting trial. She was convicted of having committed multiple felonies making it unlikely that she will again be able to work as a flight attendant. The judge in her trial gave the order that when the sentence begins, she will serve 30 days immediately and then 15 days out of every month for the following six years. Given that the children’s father claims that he has no ownership in a company as he once did, he asserts that he needs the child support payments from the mother.
This is a difficult case with the various issues that are part of it. The mother is in significant legal trouble because of her decision to hide the children from the father. With any case related to child support, it is imperative to have legal assistance to navigate the difficult terrain that can arise. This case is a prime example. Those who are in the middle of a child support case or are planning to part ways from a spouse and have children need to make certain that they are represented by an attorney.
Source: commdiginews.com, “Sandra Grazzini-Rucki ordered to pay $1K monthly child support,” Michael Volpe, Oct. 22, 2016
