A child support attorney in Mankato, MN knows that parents sometimes falsify their income when they are trying to avoid having their payments raised. The parent with primary physical custody typically receives child support from the noncustodial parent, and can petition the court for modifications. This person may be particularly inclined to do this if they know the other parent’s income has increased significantly.
Working for Cash
Family lawyers make efforts to discover whether the noncustodial parent is lying about income. A child support attorney in Mankato, MN may have an investigator find out whether the person is working for cash and not declaring it as income, for example. Often, the custodial parent knows that the ex-spouse is engaging in these activities. The kids may have talked about it or a mutual friend could have inadvertently mentioned it.
Stating Inaccurate Income
There also are individuals who swear under oath in a hearing that their income is lower than it actually is, even if their tax returns conflict with that statement. This is obviously not the smartest course of action, but parents paying child support may feel a range of negative emotions prompting them to do this.
Perjury and Fraud
The custodial parent may justifiably feel angry and wonder whether the person could be prosecuted for perjury or sanctioned for fraud. Although this is technically possible, prosecutors typically do not want to waste the government’s time and resources on such cases. The office already has more cases than it can reasonably handle. As long as the false information has been rebutted and the custodial parent receives the modification as requested, the family law court will consider the matter settled.
Considerations
Also, family court judges generally encourage both parents to participate fully in the children’s lives. They would prefer to see the two adults interact with as little animosity as possible. Pursuing a motion for sanctions because of fraud or perjury will escalate the emotions already causing problems for these two individuals and their offspring. Nevertheless, the custodial parent has the right to the full amount of child support due, and can acquire legal representation from a firm such as Blatz Law Office. Visit Blatzlawminnesota.com today.
