Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Re: 15% discount to father for other children

Absolutely not. The Master may provide other guidance for settling your case, but as stated, I do not see any statements of Maryland law as you have been led to beleive. Maryland's child support guidelines are complex. Consult an attorney BEFORE you sign any agreement.

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Re: 15% discount to father for other children

The Maryland Child Support Guidelines, on which all child support awards are based, provide that the income of either parent be reduced by the amount of child support owed to any other children before the calculation of child support in a particular case. So the expense of supporting the other children of the other marriage would reduce the father's child support for your children. I have no idea whether it would amount to a 15% reducation in your children's child support, however. It could be more, and it could be less. It is true that the State of Maryland has no authority to order the payment of back support for a period before a request for child support was filed. Usually custodial parents who do not have a private attorney are represented by an attorney provided by the state in child support matters. If you are represented, or advised, by an attorney working for the state, I would suggest that the settlement he or she approved of is probably based on the child support law. If you have a private attorney, he or she should be able to do the calculations and advise you as to whether the offer is fair.