Record-Setting Child Support Ruling Settled Out of Court

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Child Support

Earlier this year, a Cook County judge ordered a Herscher car dealership to pay $2.3 million in fines for failing to withhold child support payments from the paychecks of a former employee. The decision was the largest child-support related ruling in the history of Illinois, but it seems that the dealership will only be held responsible for part of the original fine.

The Daily Journal in Kankakee reports that dealership and the woman who filed the original complaint have reached an agreement to close the matter for good. The details of the settlement, including the final amount to be paid, have not been released, but both sides say they are satisfied with the outcome.

Unprecedented Fine

Back in April, Cook County Judge Bonita Coleman ruled that Country Chevrolet in Herscher failed to comply with state laws requiring the withholding of wages for child support. The dealership argued that the worker in question—the company’s finance manager—was an independent contractor and not an employee, so the law did not apply. Judge Coleman disagreed and ordered the dealership to pay almost $8,000 in back child support for the nine months the man was employed. The judge also levied a fine of $100 per day for the more than two years it took for the dealership to make appropriate payments to the Illinois State Disbursement Unit. The total fine was approximately $2.3 million, the biggest such fine on record in the state.

Keeping Employers Accountable

When an employer fails to withhold child support payments properly, it can affect many people. Of course, the child and the receiving parent are left without the funds to which the law says they are entitled. The paying parent can also be affected as he or she may be technically behind on child support payments without even knowing it.

Whether you are the recipient parent who is being shorted or the paying parent whose employer is not following established guidelines, we can help. In most cases, it may take only a few phone calls or a letter to get the employer to comply, but in others, more definitive action may be required.

Call Us Today

If you are having problems with an employer regarding child support withholding, contact an experienced DuPage County family law attorney. Call 630-409-8184 to speak with a member of our team about how we can assist you in protecting your rights and those of your child.

Sources:

http://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/record-child-support-ruling-settled-out-of-court/article_74010a16-6fd5-5ddb-9113-954a13fcb580.html

http://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/510712490-country-chevrolet-of-herscher-ordered-to-pay-2-3-million-for-failing-to-withhold-child-support-payments