Legal Question in Family Law in Tennessee

Can I file for abandonment if we haven't seen or heard from him since January 20

My ex-husband and I were divorced in November 1999. We have a beautiful daughter who will be five in June. My daughter has not seen him since January 2000 and I haven't received any child support since March 2000. I talked to an attorney in Tennessee about taking him to court to try to get child support, but I was told that I would need to hire a private investigator to find him first since I don't know where he is and haven't known since we last saw him. We lived in Tennessee until July 2002. That's when I and my daughter moved to Alabama. Do I file in Alabama or do I file in Tennessee since that's where we lived when we divorced? Your help is greatly appreciated.


Asked on 4/29/03, 1:33 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Rosella Shackelford Shackelford Legal Service

Re: Can I file for abandonment if we haven't seen or heard from him since Januar

Your title is inconsistent with your question. Abandonment is a cause of action for divorce, not for support, about which you are asking. On the matter of support, GA has a child suppport enforcement agency through the State Prosecutor's office and they can take your petition for payment of child support and look for him (probably not very aggressively). You can look for him on the Web through the people-locators and try to find him yourself to expedite it. Also, you can hire a lawyer in TN to file for contempt for failure to pay, do notice under the rules, get a judgment, and look for enforcement through TN or GA. You might also consult with a TN attorney regarding the cirumstances that would allow you to terminate his parental rights.

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Answered on 4/30/03, 10:11 am


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