DadsDivorce.com provides essential information and resources about divorce, alimony, child support and child custody to men and fathers at any stage of divorce.

I reside in the State of Florida and the custodial parent lives in the state of Michigan. She filed a motion to increase my child support obligation in October of 2004 in the state of Michigan, due to my financial status. The court only gave me 10 days from the notice to appear and I was unable to attend. She was granted what she asked for. I have recently been in an accident and have been under doctors care for the past month and a half. I will not be able to return to work (doctors orders) for two more months and may require therapy. I have filed all the required documentaion for a motion to decrease my child support along with documentaion supporting the fact that I would not be able to attend a hearing in the State of Michigan. Once again, I received a hearing date. At that time, I sumbmitted the required paperwork to show what my income was, 2004 file tax return and the last two months worth of pay stubs. The hearing was held on July 28,2005 and per the return letter received from the referee, the custodial parent disagreed with the amount I was requesting to pay and noted that my finances were not adequate. I was given two options: to appear when I felt I was able to or have the case dismissed. I have responded to the letter I received indicating that I do not believe my child support obligation is in compliance with the State of Michigan's Child Support Formula and have requested the court modify my support obligation per the State of Michigan's Child Support Formula. Please let me know if there is a way to have my child support modified without having to attend a hearing in the state in which I no longer reside. I have explaind to them that I am currently not working nor does my financial status allow me to attend a hearing in another state.

I have been divorced for over two years. As of September of 2006 I filed for full custody of my 11 yr old son and 8 yr old daughter. I have always been active in the classrooms, PTA and extra-curricular activites. My ex is involved in none and continually makes poor decisions regarding the children. (ex. She bought a 2 bdrm townhome because it was a "good investment") This home cost the same as my 3 bdrm, 2 bth, 2 car garage home in a cul-de-sac with almost 1000 more sq ft. The children Always complain about inconsistancy in their lives not including medical issues that she does not properly address. Since I filed for custody, she has tried to become "Super Mom", tried to get involved in the kids lives, involved in school and she had her boyfriend move in to try to show "stability", of which I found out that he has been unemployed since January. My attorney keeps telling me we are in a very good position and I just found out that the Amicus has made positive feedback regarding meeting me and negative feedback regarding my ex to my attorney. My discovery was very lengthy and included hard documented facts of everything that I have issues with and my testamonial list includes several teachers and principals among others. My question is that my ex's attorney is set to give me a deposition and I am seeing that the people that will attend are my ex and her attorney, my attorney and the amicus. I have been told that I will be questioned by the opposing attorney, my attoney and the amicus. I am nervous because everything I have been told about this is that it is about the attorneys strategizing questions to trip me up, make me nervous, confuse me, bleed more info from me, demorilize me and to find weak spots like angering me. I am told this deposition is a good sign and shows that they are grasping for straws. I am however very nervous and have concerns as to me, this is my life and to these attorney's I am being told that this is the fun part for them to be able to make or break a case in a game of wit. I have been told to keep my answers to 5 words or less. Don't show any emotion. Be sure to show confidence with every answer and to ensure that questions asked in multiple forms are answered the same exact way. I have been through military review boards, of which I excelled, but I am having difficulty dettaching the emotional portion, that I believe is required in order to get through this. I have a week and a half to prepare and I wanted to know if there was any other helpful advice for this deposition. And/or if there are any support web sites specifically for this situation. I appreciate my attorney but feel that I should also be looking for other advise as well from different perspectives. Thank you.