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
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.
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