Baton Rouge Family Law Blog

December of 2011 saw law enforcement in Louisiana round up and bring to justice many individuals for their failure to pay child support.

Pairing local law enforcement with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, the combined effort saw the arrest of 126 parents, recent data from the DCFS revealed. These non-custodial parents owed a combined $1.1 million in unpaid child support, robbing their children of money needed for everyday essentials.

Louisiana parents, in addition to parents elsewhere in the country, that have adopted international children face a relatively unique dilemma. While these parents are raising their children in this country to be future citizens of the United States, many wonder if, and to what extent, they should keep the traditions of the child's native country intact. Some parents choose to celebrate their child's heritage while others opt to leave their native customs behind.

There is no right or wrong way to address this while raising an international child of adoption. However, it will be an issue that many parents of adopted children think about as we approach the Lunar New Year, the longest and most important holiday in the Chinese culture. Because this holiday holds such special meaning to millions of people, parents of children adopted from Asia may choose to address the occasion and celebrate the land in which their child once came from.

The dissolution of marriage is generally a very private matter. People do not usually want everyone knowing the details of a breakdown in their marriage; let alone what is happening in the divorce proceedings. However, popular social networking sites here in Louisiana and elsewhere is giving outsiders more and more of a view inside troubled relationships. Many times, our actions online can speak volumes, even if it is unintended.

Nowhere is this more apparent than on popular social media websites. Outsiders can read into situations like when a husband and wife do not 'friend' each other on this popular social media outlet. Some couples also choose not to list themselves as 'married' in the relationship status area of their profiles. In some cases, people can read too much into this sort of activity and perceive a marital problem when there is not one. However, when there truly is an issue inside a marriage, it will reflect on social media with an individual's tone and demeanor.

Delinquent fathers in the Lafayette, Louisiana area have reason to be nervous these days. Members of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office have ratcheted up efforts to bring to justice fathers that have chronically failed to live up to their child support obligations. They made some progress with their efforts, too.

Physically knocking on doors and searching for "deadbeat dads," law enforcement targeted 25 cases and 15 were resolved because of their efforts. Of these resolutions, five of these individuals were arrested and the other 10 were able to avoid jail in exchange for paying either restitution or a portion of the payments that they owed. Those not placed behind bars will have to appear in court where a judge will likely reinstate their monthly payments.