On behalf of Cooper & Tanis, P.C. posted in family law on Wednesday, March 22, 2017.

Parents in Colorado who are exploring their legal options regarding delinquent child support payments may be interested in learning about the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act, or DPPA. It is a federal law that was created in 1998 that is used to hold parents accountable who willfully avoid their child support payment obligations by relocating to other states.

The DPPA can punish parents who choose to travel to another state in order to not pay child support, fail to make payments for more than a year and are delinquent for $5,000. Penalties may also be applied to those who relocate to another state to avoid paying child support, fail to do so for more than two years and are more than $10,000 in arrears.

Parents who are found guilty under the DPPA can be sent to prison for no more than six months for their first offense. For second offenses, the court can send them to prison for up to two years. In all cases, the court can also require that the guilty parties pay restitution equal to the amount of child support payments that are delinquent.

Parents who are owed back child support may file DPPA child support cases in several different locations. These include in any federal court or the state where the child lives, payment has not been received or delinquent parent has resided.

A family law attorney should be consulted disputes arise regarding family law matters like child support. A lawyer may litigate or negotiate in order to modify current child support orders, enforce payments and more. After carefully evaluating their clients’ cases, attorneys may be able to advise them about their best courses of action.