Child Support - 10 Years of Interest

**Ironwil** · 09-17-2009, 06:21 PM

My question involves child support in the State of: Arizona

Ealier this year a very large amount of arrears was added to my account. By large I mean around $7000.00. I was stunned, and tried to get an explanation of this. Unfortunately, 9 faxed requests and endless calls to customer support didn't even get me a return call. I contacted the Flagstaff Clerk of the Court and got the direct number for the Child Support Enforcement office. Customer support refuses to give out the number. They only "pass your concerns" onto your case worker. In my case, this resulted in being completely ignored. After multiple calls to the supervisor, I received my first return call. It took 5 months and 10 days from my first written request to get that call. The answer that I got was vague at best, and after another month had gone by I contacted the Attorney General. After speaking with various people I finally received an explanation - today.

In November of 1999, a child support modification on my case was supposed to take effect. I'd first received papers on the modification request while I was walking into the court in May 1999 on an unrelated matter with the other party. The judge had stated that it would not be retro-active to May, since I wasn't properly served and couldn't have addressed the issue then. Child support made it retro-active anyway, and it took nearly 2 years to get them to admit their mistake and take it off. I still have the letter in which they stated they were wrong, would remove the arrears, notify the credit agencies, and that my modification was to begin 11/1/1999, not 5/1999. I thought that was the end of it. How wrong I was.

I had another issue in 2007 when buying a house. I was reported as owing over $900.00 in arrears. After several calls and written requests, I received a letter stating that I owed no arrears and no debt as of that date. So what happened now? You won't believe the answer. I sure don't, and it's happening to me right now.

They state now that they "interpret" the court order to allow them to make that 1999 modification retro-active after all. They placed 6 months of the modified amount on my account as arrears from May 1999 to November 1999, and billed me for 10 years of interest. Understand that they only placed that amount on my account somewhere between 12/2008 and 3/2009, but somehow I'm still liable for the arrears, which I have letters from them stating I don't owe, and 10 years of interest.

They took over 6 and a half months to even tell me what the amount was for. They stopped sending me my monthly statements in the mail at the same time this occurred. I have statements from the entire year of 2008 that show what I actually owe, and 2 letters from them stating that I don't owe anything (2001 and 2007). Now they say that all of that was simply a mistake, too bad, and I must pay 10 years of interest on a debt I wasn't even informed of until early this year, and that I have extensive documentation stating that I don't owe.

I have faxed these documents to my case worker multiple times. To date, it remains on my account and I continue to be charged extra each month.

I believe I need an attorney.