Child support disputes in Louisiana can be emotionally charged for the parents who are involved. And, for what may seem like a relatively straightforward legal issue, there are multiple factors that can arise in these disputes that can complicate things in a hurry. So, what issues might come up in your child support dispute?
Modifications
For many people, just the fact that child support might be ordered to begin with is controversy enough. Based on a variety of factors, some parents may believe that they should not be ordered to pay child support at all, while the other parent may believe a child support order is absolutely necessary. If this is an issue in your child support dispute, it will likely be the first issue addressed.
Then, of course, an issue can arise regarding the amount of the child support that the family law court orders. A court will look at factors such as the parents’ income, the ability to pay and the child’s needs when determining the appropriate amount of child support to order. If a parent does not pay child support as ordered, an enforcement action may be necessary.
Yet another common child support issue is when a child support order has been issued and is in place, but one of the parents requests a modification. These actions oftentimes come with a steep hill to climb for the parent requesting the modification because, in essence, the parent is requesting a change to a court order. The parent requesting the modification will need to be well prepared to make a persuasive argument for the change.