Wisconsin judges have a variety of means at their disposal for child support enforcement. They may order garnishment of a delinquent parent’s wages or income tax refunds, place liens on property or deny occupational and sporting licenses or even order jail time. Increasingly, Wisconsin judges have been resorting to an enforcement measure many view as extreme – they are ordering delinquent parents to refrain from having more children.
A Racine County judge made national headlines in December when he ordered that a man could not have any more children until he showed he could support them. In that case, the man owed around $90,000 in delinquent payments for nine existing children. Then, as we reported in a prior blog post in January, a Washburn County judge imposed similar conditions on another man who had been convicted of failure to pay child support. Now, a Sawyer County judge has adopted the same approach.
In the most recent case, a Hayward man who owes approximately $5,000 in back support for his three children was convicted on two felony counts of failure to pay support. In sentencing him to two years’ probation, the judge ordered that he refrain from procreating until he pays up. In an additional twist similar to the other case, the judge also ordered that the man disclose within three minutes after meeting any woman that he is a felon and owes back child support.
These cases demonstrate the serious consequences of falling behind on child support payments. If non-custodial parents find they cannot make court-ordered monthly payments, it is important for them to seek help. An experienced child support attorney can review a parent’s financial situation to determine if a child support modification would be appropriate.
Source: Duluth News Tribune, “State view: No-procreation order is just one solution to enforce child support,” Bruce Vielmetti, Jan. 23, 2013
