Legal Question in Family Law in Michigan
What constitutes reasonable medical expenses?
I was divorced in Michigan. I live in Virginia and my ex-wife lives in Tennessee. According to my divorce decree, I �shall pay all reasonable medical, dental and optical bills incurred for and on behalf of the minor child.� My ex-wife (custodial parent) had our daughter admitted to a psychiatric hospital for one week, against my wishes, on the advice of a school counselor and a nurse. As far as I know, she did not consult a doctor. I refused to pay the hospital bill. My ex-wife also refused to pay it, and it went to collections. I contacted them and explained that I would not pay the bill because it is not �reasonable� to have a teenager admitted to a psychiatric hospital without a doctor�s referral. The agency has threatened to take me to court along with my ex-wife. Can this legally be done? Who determines the meaning of the word �reasonable� in a case like this? Is this a ''reasonable'' expense? What are my legal responsibilities in this case?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: What constitutes reasonable medical expenses?
The answer to your question as to whether it could
(arguably) be a reasonable expense is yes, it
could be.
Offer to pay half, and settle this; otherwise, you
might be required to pay all.
Re: What constitutes reasonable medical expenses?
Whether or not this is a reasonable cost would ultimately be decided by the Michigan court were the divorce decree was entered. Since neither of you live in Michigan any longer, that could get to be very costly. Maybe you should try to reach an accomodation with your former spouse, so that she picks up part of the cost. You might also try to get some sort of counseltation arrangement with her (formal or otherwise) so this does not happen again.
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