getting settlement enforced (as well :-) )

[sol2oz]

Hi,

My ex husband signed a court order to divide the marital debt. He started to make payments, but then stopped making them. When I asked him why he's no longer making payments, he basically said that he's now unemployed.

The thing is that he used to provide me with scanned copies of his cancelled unemployment checks as proof (which was good enough for me), but now he's stopped doing so. It's been over three months that he doesn't send me any type of proof. He just emails me that he's unemployed. I feel that he's not telling the truth.

Is there any way to find out if he's employed or not? If he is, and he's not making payments, will that be considered "contempt of court"? What if he is unemployed? Will the court lower his payments, or what else can happen?(The payments are for credit cards that he ran up under my name).

 

[army judge]

Hi,

My ex husband signed a court order to divide the marital debt. He started to make payments, but then stopped making them. When I asked him why he's no longer making payments, he basically said that he's now unemployed.

The thing is that he used to provide me with scanned copies of his cancelled unemployment checks as proof (which was good enough for me), but now he's stopped doing so. It's been over three months that he doesn't send me any type of proof. He just emails me that he's unemployed. I feel that he's not telling the truth.

Is there any way to find out if he's employed or not? If he is, and he's not making payments, will that be considered "contempt of court"? What if he is unemployed? Will the court lower his payments, or what else can happen?(The payments are for credit cards that he ran up under my name).

You can try and sue him in small claims court for the alleged balance owed.
Don't get your hopes up with that remedy.
It is cheap, but it isn't fast, and it often fails to generate anything but a judgment.

You can take him back to court and ask for him to held in contempt for NOT making the payments.
That ain't quick, either.
No, you can't legally discover his employment situation.
The court can, if you proceed to contempt proceedings.
Again, that takes time and is often very frustrating.

In the end, if this is a few hundred dollars, or even a few thousand dollars; you might want to just cut your losses.
The more you are forced to (or think you are forced to) deal with someone you loathe, despise, and hold in low regard; the more it harms YOU!

He's probably a deadbeat and most likely lying about his unemployment.
But, in this horrible economy for MANY people, who knows?
Some people have been unemployed for two, three, even four or more years.
Many of those people will never work again!

So, you have options, you now must decide what option works for you.

Good luck!

 

[sunnymoon]

Do you have to pay for the rest of the debt if he can not pay for it?

Since you divided the debt with him, aren't you are just responsible for the part you owe?