Child Support Judgement

by NJ
(Texas)

My husband was an attorney with a bipolar diagnosis. At one point he was very sick but has been in treatment with a psychiatrist and medications and is now quite stable. When he and his wife separated, a referee recommended that he pay child support of approximately $4500 a month based on a salary expectation of about $200-250K per year. Of course, being ill he didn't make anything for awhile and then lost his license and had to start selling cars.

He has now worked his way up to about $80K a year. However, we live in another state and his wife (and her lawyer slash boss slash lover?) went to court and received a judgement for $38000 in back child support based on the referees recommendation.

We were both unemployed at the time and did not have the funds to travel to the other state or hire an attorney to defend him and get a more resonable judgement. He did respond to the case and sent substantial financial records of his current income, debt and IRS taxes he owed (from his failed law practice) and reminded them that the referee's estimate was based on a salary he didn't make.

Somehow, she managed to get the judgment in spite of the truth. What, if anything, can we do? She says if he comes to the state to see his children she will have him arrested for the back child support. It's very sad. He was sick and has turned his life around. We now makes payments to the IRS even though she owes 50% of those taxes because they were owed from the time they were married.

He is worked 12-14 hours a day. I have the responsbility of a 90 year old mother and a special needs adult daughter. It's very expensive to take care of everyone so I can only help so much.

He gives her $1500 plus each month for two children which is above and beyond what Louisiana would require for his situation but he wants to give as much as we can. I don't know where to turn, or how to get help because we don't have 10-30K dollars to spend on an attorney.