Legal Question in Family Law in California
What can I do if my ex wife living in another country filed for a child support case?
I live in California and I was married and had two kids in the Philippines. Both mother and kids are none American citizens and living in the Philippines and my ex wife filed for a child support case in California. Can this be enforced? What are the steps that I can take to ensure I don't get taken advantage of since dollars are worth a lot more than the Philippine Pesos? I've tried to work it out with her,but she's asking for a thousand dollars by the next week and six hundred dollars every month.
2 Answers from Attorneys
You live in California and she lives in the Philippines. She files in California. Is this correct?
Do you want her to file in the Philippines? Without knowing for sure, I suspect that Philippine law could not have jurisdiction over you so she went to the court that can. You are obligated to pay child support. I suspect that the California Court will be more fair than an overseas court. 600 dollars per month does not seem outrageous for two children...hire an attorney and work it out.
California would have jurisdiction over you as a resident, but the jurisdictional requirements for a divorce or parentage case are different. You refer to her as your exwife, so one of my first questions to you would be where the divorce was handled. If it was handled in California, then this state would continue to have jurisdiction over support issues.
As you can see from some of these questions, you may want to speak to an attorney in person, to work out these complex jurisdictional issues. You need to do this right away.
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