Greenville church music minister has been sentenced

Minister arrested for back child support

GREENVILLE, S.C. - A Greenville church music minister has been sentenced to six months in prison for failing to pay more than $394,000 in back child support for his 13 children.


WYFF-TV in Greenville says a judge ordered Lyman Rea on Thursday to pay $37,000 before he's released. He was arrested Wednesday while preparing for an evening service at Second Baptist Church in Greenville.

It's unclear if Rea had an attorney. Calls to his home and the church were not immediately returned Thursday. A spokesman for the sheriff's department said he wasn't sure if the man had a lawyer.

Feds to get cut of Michigan child support checks

Starting next month, some parents who receive child support checks will see an annual fee of $25 taken out of their checks as part of a new federal law.
The change -- which was outlined in a recent letter sent to custodial parents by the state's child support office -- is expected to net nearly $3 million a year. Most of that money will be sent to the federal government to reduce its budget deficit.
The fee applies only if the parent does not receive food stamps for a child, does not and never has received cash assistance, and has received at least $500 in child support, said Marilyn Stephen, director of the Department of Human Services' Office of Child Support.
Its bad enough that the child support court already charges a fee to collect child support. Then they have a racket that the court can charge you interest on arearage fees goes beyond belief. So not only does the state benefit from child support but the federal government does as well, simply because you had a child. The fact that every man or woman who pays child support has a fee attach to his order to pay is insane! The child support system makes millions of dollars each year from people paying child support and even more for those individual who don't pay...

I personally am upset with state officials because the federal legislation gives different options for collecting the fee, but Michigan has chosen to withhold funds intended for kids instead of collecting it from the non-custodial parent or paying it directly out of the general fund.
Michigan legislators determined that it would be handled in this way once it starts in one state you can believe that other states will soon follow. At first child support was taken for the benefit of the child, now it will be to pay back the federal deficit. Once it works in this state you can only imagine that it will spread like wild fire accross the other 49 states.

Keep Track of child-care expenses

Child-care costs vary depending on the child’s age and where you live, but it’s not uncommon for these costs to be upwards of $6,000 per year.
One consolation for that particular expense is that it’s tax deductible. Parents can claim up to $7,000 for every child under the age of seven, $4,000 for every child age seven to 16, and up to $10,000 for a child who qualifies for the disability tax credit.
"Keep track of your child-care expenses in order to maximize the amount you can claim," says Christine Van Cauwenberghe, tax and financial planning expert with Investors Group. She says many parents make the mistake of not claiming the maximum amount of eligible expenses.
That would be an opportunity lost, as child-care amounts cannot be carried forward to future years.
Parents are advised to report each child 16 and under on their tax return, whether or not they incurred any expenses for that child. That way they can claim the cumulative amount for the children.
For example, suppose you have a child under age seven, and you’ve spent $9,000 on child care, or $2,000 above the limit.
You have another child age 10, and you’ve only spent $1,000 for after-school care. Because you are still under the cumulative total of $11,000, you can claim the entire amount.
Eligible expenses include day care and before-school/after-school care. There are also amounts that can be claimed for summer day camps and sports camps that have a child-care element.
For these types of summer child care programs parents are entitled to claim up to $175 for children aged six and under, $100 for children aged 7 to 16 and $250 for children with a disability.
"A week at an elite hockey school for a 15-year-old, geared towards improving his skills, would not be seen as child care, although it may qualify for the fitness tax credit."
Child care expenses have to be claimed by the lower income-earning spouse, and you can only claim up to two-thirds of your income.
If the child is in private school, and there is a before/after school care component, ask the school to itemize the bill to indicate what portion is for child care.
While tuition for the private school is not deductible, expenses related to child care can be deducted.
Parents can also claim the children’s fitness amount.
The non-refundable credit is worth up to $500 for children under the age of 16 enrolled in an eligible program of physical activity. Not every program meets the eligibility guidelines, so you need to ensure you know the requirements. Children with disabilities are eligible for a $1,000 credit up to the age of 18.
Single parents are also able to claim the Eligible Dependent Credit. This tax credit can also be claimed for a dependent grandchild, sibling, parent or grandparent.
If it’s being claimed for a child, grandchild or sibling, the dependent must be either under 18 years of age, or dependent by reason of mental or physical disability. Only one parent can claim this credit, and it can’t be claimed if you are making child support payments.
"Remember that child-care expenses have to be claimed in the year in which they are incurred," Van Cauwenberghe adds.
"Save all of your receipts, and maximize the amount you can claim."

Rick Ross sued for child support payment

The mother of rapper RICK ROSS' son is suing him over claims he does not pay child support.Tiallondra Nicole Kemp claims Ross has not offered financial support to raise their son, two-year-old William Leonard Roberts, III.Kemp has also asked a Florida court to order Ross to take a paternity test to prove he is the father's child. Kemp believes the results of the test will help establish her case. Kemp requests maintenance payments under the Florida Child SupportGuidelines and wants shared responsibility over the child.

Ricky Ross I feel for you son if you are the father, Flordia is not one of those states that takes paying child support lightly.

Sperm Donor obligated to pay child support

According to the opinion for the court by Judge Michael E. Vigil, the mother came to know the donor through her same-sex partner, and the three became friends. Mother and her partner wanted to have children together, and tried for some years to persuade their friend to donate sperm for them, with the understanding that he would be a male role model for the child but would not have any legal or financial obligation. After resisting for several years, the donor finally agreed and donated sperm, leading to the birth of a child. The insemination was accomplished at home without the participation of a physician. Shortly after the birth of the child, the donor, mother and her partner executed a written agreement embodying their understanding. The donor established a relationship with the child.Mother and her partner separated, but mother wanted to have another child, and the donor agreed to donate sperm for a new insemination under the same terms, although there was no written agreement governing the second child. Again, insemination was accomplished at home without a doctor’s participation. The second child was born, and again the donor sustained a relationship, now with both children, as a male parental figure. Three years after the birth of the younger child, mother demanded that donor provide child support and, when he balked, filed a paternity action in court seeking a support order. Donor agreed to a stipulated amount, which was approved by the court, and the donor has faithfully made the payments. But then three years later, mother demanded an increase. (In the meantime, donor had married and had three children with his wife). Donor again balked and this time the case went to a hearing, which focused on the donor’s income and led to an order substantially increasing his monthly payments. He appealed. ...The first ruling is clearly the more significant, addressing a question of first impression on the enforceability of the agreement under which the donor had agreed to contribute his semen to the project of mother’s pregnancies. The court found that under the agreement could have been enforceable under New Mexico ’s adoption of the Uniform Parentage Act, but the failure of the parties to involve a doctor in the insemination process when there was a "known donor" took these conceptions outside the jurisdiction of the Act’s provision on donor insemination. What remained in the absence of the Act was the clear public policy of New Mexico that a biological father of a child has a legal obligation of support if he has held himself out as the child’s father, and any purported agreement to the contrary is unenforceable as a matter of public policy.

What a idiot, he agreed to be a part of the childs life and then he acts surprised that the mother is expecting child support... I am sorry my friend you should have got a kiss, cause you just got screwed!

James McGreevey will pay child support, but not alimony

Former Gov. James E. McGreevey will not have to pay alimony to his ex-wife, a judge ruled Friday in granting the couple a divorce after a tumultuous eight-year marriage that crumbled publicly when McGreevey acknowledged he was a “gay American.”
A superior court judge ruled that McGreevey, the nation’s first openly gay governor, must pay $250 a week, or $1,075 a month, in child support for his 6-year-old daughter with Dina Matos. James E. McGreevey. Matos had argued that McGreevey was deliberately underemployed to evade paying alimony to support her, but the judge said that McGreevey was being supported by his rich boyfriend while studying at the seminary and, therefore, didn't need employment to support himself.
I can not believe the court is going to let this governor off the hook. What state is this that the man does not even have to get a job? His gay lover is rich and will make the child support payments so that lets McGreevy off? This is a travesty to the poor. The court is literally slapping this guy on the wrist and say you better pay, but don't worry if you don't have a job, we understand, wink-wink...This Court system has no shame.