Child Support – Curtis W. Daugherty, PC

Five Stars for Five Years

Curtis W. Daugherty, PC earns Five-Star ratings for Five Years.
For half a decade, Curtis W. Daugherty’s performance as a family law attorney has consistently earned him five-star reviews in Google reviews, in Yelp, and on AVVO, a widely-recognized online platform for attorneys to post profiles and for their clients to grade their performance.

If you are in need of competent, professional counsel to represent you in resolving a family law issue, call Curtis W. Daugherty today.

By Curtis Daugherty|2019-08-08T20:26:09-08:00July 26th, 2019|Categories: Child Support, Custody, Divorce, Family Law-General, Visitation|Tags: domestic_violence, hitting|Comments Off

The Quickest Way to a Costly Divorce Settlement

Of all the things you can do to shoot yourself in the foot during a divorce, this one tops the list. Talking to your Ex about legal issues or personal things that they don’t need to know about. It will cost you money, frustrate your attorney, and set you up for disappointment. And who wants that?

It happens more than you think. You hire an attorney, but between all of the child exchanges and communications with your Ex, you get tired and forget that there is a line between co-parenting and litigation that shouldn’t be crossed. The next thing you know, something you’ve said in a moment of (frustration/irritation/exasperation) has tipped your hand in favor of your Ex, and his/her attorney will use that to prove that your Ex’s behavior has been corrected (at least temporarily right before the hearing) or to use against you. Either way, you have just given away your best chance of getting the modification you have spent so much time working towards.

Talk to your Ex about the kid’s homework, about soccer practice, about rehearsals, but don’t talk to them about anything beyond parenting. Handling legal matters is your attorney’s job. Let your attorney do what you hired them to do without making them jump through more hoops because you opened your mouth about a recent purchase, the party you attended or the lavish trip you took, or whatever. Sometimes the best way to help your attorney help you, is to remain silent.

By Curtis Daugherty|2016-10-28T00:07:34-08:00August 26th, 2016|Categories: Child Support, Custody, Divorce, Family Law-General, Visitation|Tags: pushing your soon to be ex's buttons|Comments Off

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Child Visitation Issues

With all of the potentially disastrous outcomes in a divorce, the one you really don’t want to mess up on is Child Visitation, and navigating this issue isn’t as common sense as you might think. You’ll do well to remember the following:

1. Passing on a Scheduled Visitation Doesn’t Give you the Right to Withhold Visitation.

So you passed up a chance to spend time with your kids because of a scheduling conflict. Your Ex got to keep them for that weekend, so to even the score, you deny your Ex a scheduled visitation. It’s only fair, right? Not to the courts. Taking this approach is refusing to comply with a court order. It’s a good way to lose time with your kids, end up paying more child support, or get thrown in jail for contempt. Don’t do it!

Family law courts are courts of equity. If you don’t do the right thing by your Ex, the court will do what it can to balance the scales in your Ex’s favor.e scales in your Ex’s favor.

2. Don’t Withhold Visitation for Failure to Pay Child Support or Vise Versa.

This is another way to wind up in jail for contempt, and for your Ex to wind up with the kids. It’s also a good way to end up paying more child support. As I’ve mentioned before, the courts are courts of equity, and it’s their job to tip the scales for the sake of fairness. Tip them yourself, and it will backfire every time. As I’ve mentioned before, the courts are courts of equity, and it’s their job to tip the scales for the sake of fairness. Tip them yourself, and it will backfire every time. As I’ve mentioned before, the courts are courts of equity, and it’s their job to tip the scales for the sake of fairness. Tip them yourself, and it will backfire every time.

3. Make Sure You Read and Understand All Court Orders in Your Case.

This is true for any and all issues in your divorce, but I mention it here because dealing with children is an emotionally charged issue, and parents find it tempting to bend the rules. Know and understand what you’ve been ordered to do by the court, and do it. “I didn’t know” or “I forgot” or “I didn’t think that’s what the order said” is not going to cut it with the judge. It’s also a good way to get thrown in jail for contempt.

By Curtis Daugherty|2016-10-27T00:30:12-08:00May 27th, 2016|Categories: Child Support, Custody, Divorce|Tags: Child visitation rights, Three things to remember, Your Ex|Comments Off

Three Things You Should Always Do When Children Are Involved in Your Divorce

1. Avoid Alienating the Children From Your Ex.
Trying to turn the kids against the Ex will eventually turn them against you. Kids grow up and think for themselves, and when they do, they’ll realize what you’ve been up to. This will not end well for you. Nobody likes to hear others say bad things about their parents, even when it is their other parent. The kids love and need you both.

2. Make All Support Payments With a Check.
If you voluntarily give your Ex money, or can’t prove you made a support payment, then the court won’t give you credit for it and you will have to pay twice. If the payment in question is court ordered support, your inability to prove payment could get you jailed for contempt—every month! Cash may be king, but it’s not your friend.

3. Keep a Visitation Diary
When your Ex can’t follow the visitation order, or constantly wants to see the kids during your designated time with little or no advanced notice, write it down when it happens. It will look more credible if it is noted in real time, and will help show the court that your Ex is being difficult and failing to work with you.

By Curtis Daugherty|2016-10-27T00:30:12-08:00April 21st, 2016|Categories: Child Support, Custody, Divorce, Visitation|Tags: Three things you should always do when children are involved in your divorce|Comments Off

Facebook Posts Used to Prove Income Father Was Trying to Hide

Father did not “unfriend” Mother on Facebook after they separated. After Father lied to the Court by claiming he was earning less than he really was, we downloaded pictures Father posted of himself flashing cash and used those pictures to prove that Father was not truthful with the Court. This destroyed Father’s credibility and helped us show that Father was earning more money than he claimed which we used to convince the Court to deny Father’s request for Child and Spousal Support and order Father to pay Child Support to Mother.

By Curtis Daugherty|2016-10-27T00:30:12-08:00February 18th, 2016|Categories: Child Support, Divorce, Family Law-General|Tags: child custody, hiding income from spouse|Comments Off

Recovered Texts Used Against Dishonest Dad

After many years of marriage Mother finally had enough. After separation, and with her own money, she bought Father yet another cell phone so she could maintain contact with her children while they are in his care. After Father lied to the Court one too many times, we convinced the Court to require him to return the cell phone to Mother. Father tried to delete all contacts and text messages from the phone before returning it to Mother but did not completely erase the texts. We recovered the text messages and used them to prove that Father was not truthful with the Court. This destroyed Father’s credibility and helped us show that Father was earning more money than he claimed, allowing us to convince the Court to deny Father’s request for Child and Spousal Support and order Father to pay Child Support to Mother.