Among the Ask a Divorce Lawyer questions answered today by Cordell & Cordell attorneys:

• If we've come to an agreement on our own of no child support, will a judge force her to take support from me because I earn more?
• Do I have the legal right to drop my wife from my medical insurance as long as I give her 30 days notice?
• During the divorce process my kids hate leaving me and going back to their mom. Can they stay with me and not her?
• Divorce seems inevitable, so what is the first step I should take to increase my chances for the best outcome?
• Can one state come after me for owed child support if the case is in another state?
• How can I keep my kids safe if my ex is abusing them during visitations?

Question: My ex-wife decided that even though our custody agreement states that we change every Thursday at 9:00 am she kept our daughter until Saturday night for Thanksgiving. In our agreement her lawyer said no to breaking out the holidays and that it would just continue week on, week off. 

Now my ex says that the intent was to share over holidays. She advised me by text on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm that she was going to another state for Thanksgiving giving no indication when she would return. I had to wait for her not knowing when she would return.

What can I do?

Among the Ask a Divorce Lawyer questions answered today by Cordell & Cordell attorneys:

• What force will the Marriage Settlement Agreement have if we are interpreting it differently?
• Can you "undo" an adoption?
• How do prior criminal records play into custody decisions?
• What rights do I have if my name is not on the birth certificate?

Question: I pay child support to my ex-wife in Texas. I recently moved from Texas to California for a job. I am on community supervision for a contempt charge for failure to pay child support in the past. 

This year, I have continued paying child support but got behind on medical reimbursement. If they revoke my community supervision, a warrant will be issued for my arrest. I am trying to pay what I owe, but have been unable. 

If a warrant is issued, will they come to California to arrest me?

By Jennifer M. Paine

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell, P.C., Detroit office

Note: This is Part 3 of a four-part series on child support. Click here to read Part 1 and click here to read Part 2.

Separate Rights

This is not to say child support and visitation are separate issues merely because the federal government became hyper-involved in one (child support) and not the other. The federal government got involved to alleviate a chronic and costly problem, the non-payment of child support, by addressing two parts of the problem, determination and enforcement. The government did not address another problem, one pressing families just as much now as then: Whose right is support, and why?