The Duty to Pay Your Past Due Child Support Never Ends

Law Firm Sinkin & Barretto collects child support for grown children.

San Antonio, TX (PRWEB) July 31, 2006 -- Approximately five billion dollars in child support and accrued interest is owed to nearly two million Texas children -- but these children aren’t necessarily children any longer. Many of them are adults who, as minors, were cheated by their noncustodial parent. The passage of time does not relieve an obligor from his or her child support duty, and there is no statute of limitations on child support rulings in Texas. Even after twenty or thirty years or more, noncustodial parents are held responsible for the debts they have to their families and children plus interest.

Sinkin & Barretto, PLLC, a law firm in San Antonio, TX, focuses mainly on child support cases, especially those with children over 18 years old. For the past ten years Sinkin & Barretto has been a major advocate of adult children who are owed child support. By every means possible the law firm has pushed the issue into the limelight, and now the results are being seen.

Interest Included

“Accrued interest is part of the child support obligation and may be enforced by any means provided for the collection of child support,” states the Texas Family Code. When interest is added to the past due amount of child support, the unpaid debt can increase as much as eight times. The interest on unpaid child support accrues at rates between 6% and 12%, depending upon the years the payment was missed. In one case, Sinkin and Barretto was able to collect over $248,000 for their client after interest accrued on the original $30,150 child support debt.

Child Support is Not a Request—it’s a Court Order

"As long as there was an order for child support signed when the child was a minor, the child support can be collected in Texas—no matter how much time has passed," stated attorney Steven Sinkin, who represents families all across Texas seeking past due child support. In two of Sinkin and Barretto’s most recent adult child support cases, Judges Doug Warne and Lisa Millard of Harris County ruled separately that regardless of the age of the child, income may be withheld and child support liens may be issued to collect child support. A child support lien makes it legal to foreclose on anything owned by the obligor, except a homestead, in order to get money owed.

A recent amendment passed by the Texas Legislature limited the time period to secure a cumulative money judgment in child support. However, the rulings of Judge Warne and Judge Millard hold that the actions of the legislature do not affect other independent remedies available to collect unpaid child support. As long as the child support remains unpaid the child support recipient can collect by liens, levies and writs of income withholding.

“Judge Warne and Judge Millard have preserved, for the children and families of Texas, the ability to collect child support–no matter the age of the children,” stated Steve Sinkin. “If someone has a duty to pay child support, it never goes away. Judge Warne and Judge Millard are the true heroes of family values and the protection of the children of Texas.”

For more information pertaining to adult child support advocacy, visit www.childsupport2collect.com or contact Steven Sinkin of Sinkin and Barretto telephone at 210-732-6000.

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