Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland

Each parent has a duty to support his/her children. If a parent is able to work but refuses to do so, a court can conclude that he or she is guilty of voluntary impoverishment. Generally this applies to the noncustodial parent who is seeking to avoid paying child support. The way it works is the court, using evidence of the parent's work history, skills and training, imputes income to him/her and orders support to be paid based upon that income. You should be prepared at the forthcoming trial to present such evidence. If you have properly prepared, you should be able to do so. There are vocational placement experts who can be hired to testify as to what someone with your husband's work background should be able to earn. Alternatively, you could ask the court for sole residential custody and grant him visitation along the lines of the schedule you proposed. You would still be potentially entitled to receive support from him, but even if he gets off the hook at least you wouldn't have to pay him. It sounds like you're trying to handle this case on your own, which in your case is a big mistake that could end up costing you dearly.