Legal Question in Family Law in Massachusetts

Hello,

The question I have is-

My father has had almost no contact with me since I was 2 years old. My mother brought me up never remarried, shouldered the burden of the costs without a dime of child support during this time. She tried, but he was without a job and the means to support so she being a "good person" relented and just didn't pursue. The last time I saw this person was at 17 when I was starting to look at Colleges, at this time he would not, or could not help.

I'm 49 this year, I have 2 kids in grad school and have been thinking.. do I have any recourse on this man that has been a deadbeat.

-Can I garnish his Social Security, or a portion?

-Can I garnish a Life Insurance Policy when he dies that will be paid to me rather than siblings.

He has to be 70-72 years old at the moment and is alive (I believe)

Just wondering if there are options should I choose to pursue.

Thank you for your time!

Russ Landry


Asked on 3/04/17, 7:26 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Generally, there is a statute of limitations of 20 years for collection of child support, given you are 49 and the latest child support would continue assuming you were a full-time student, then you would not be able to collect anything from him. Assuming he has no assets but a home, social security and a retirement fund, you could not collect anything from him anyway. So my suggestion is to forget it, as much as you could use help in paying for your children's college.

Read more
Answered on 3/04/17, 6:25 pm


Related Questions & Answers

More Family Law, Divorce, Child Custody and Adoption questions and answers in Massachusetts