Department of Child Support Service Defense (DCSS)

A mother may resort to the Los Angeles County Department of Child Support Services for the prosecution of their Child Support case against the non-custodial father.  If you received a 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 Judges tend to decide in favor of the County and the custodial mother.

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 mother 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.