Los Angeles County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS)

Los Angeles Family Law Attorney defends clients pursued by DCSS

A Custodial Parent may utilize the Los Angeles County Department of Child Support Services for the prosecution of their Child Support case against the non-custodial Parent.  If you received a Summons and Petition from DCSS, they may be going after you for a determination of Paternity as well as Child Support.  The Child Support District Attorneys are often relentless in their pursuit of child support respondents. 

In addition, Child Support Services will look to you for reimbursement to the County or State if your child and or the Custodial Parent is receiving any type of state or county "welfare" type benefit. The benefit triggering a DCSS case against you could be as simple as a county medical benefit to the child.

It is not unusual for a non custodial parent to come into our office owing tens of thousands of dollars in back child support in a years old defaulted support case that this parent ignored until their drivers License suspended or Passport was withheld.  Do not let that be your situation. If you were served with a child support case let us defend you immediately so the support ultimately ordered is in line with your ability to pay.

It is important to obtain experienced legal representation in these cases specially if you are wrongfully alleged to be the father of a child.  You may be determined to be the legal father of this child if you do not contest, whether you like it or not, and become legally obligated to pay child support for this child for another 18 years.  This could total hundred of thousands of dollars paid by you during that time period.  For example in one of the cases we successfully handled, the client was pursued by DCSS for both paternity and child support.  The mother was married to another man at the time she became pregnant with the child. It was statutorily too late for the client to request an order for genetic testing since it has been over 2 years since the child was born.  We were able to convince the judge to order genetic testing even after the statutory period in exchange for preserving DCSS objection to the genetic test results.  The genetic test results revealed that client was not the father.  DCSS decided to dismiss the case against him.  We saved the client $600 per month in child support or over $130,000 in child support over 18 years.

Another common situation where DCSS may prosecute your case is when the custodial parent receives welfare benefit from the County.  The County of Los Angeles will try to re-coupe those benefits paid out by prosecuting you for paternity and child support.  Child support obligations, if not paid, accumulate as arrears and grow with interest at 10% per year compounded.  This obligation is non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.

In addition, child support judgments will be garnished from your wages through wage assignment.  DCSS may place a lien on your real estate and may execute on any assets they may find.  They may also suspend your driver’s license. Call us today if you have been served with a DCSS support case.

Affordable Child Support Services Lawyer for Greater Los Angeles

Speak to an experienced Los Angeles child support lawyer at the Family Law Office of Charles M. Green at (213) 387-4508 if you feel the DCCS is wrongfully pursuing you for child support.