California’s child support system is the largest in the nation and L.A. County’s is the largest in the state with over 425-thousand cases. Each one is an individual drama that’s playing out more and more often in these tough economic times. Increasingly, people are filing for what’s called “support modification” - which is when parents say they’re facing financial hardship and can’t afford to pay child support.
“He Said / She Said” shows the struggle of two divorced families. Jamie Dominguez says he’s now in the ranks of the under-employed and can’t pay his ex, Lisa Dunn, $1,300 a month for their three children. Jamie admits that he’s never paid the full amount and owes Lisa and the children several thousand dollars in back child support. Sef Krell - an attorney who once made $500,000 a year - claims that his law practice is off 40% and he can’t give his ex, Melissa Krell, the $23,000 a month he was ordered to pay in child and spousal support. Melissa has moved out of state with the couple’s two boys, saying she can no longer afford to live in Southern California. Melissa also says that Sef has never paid what the court ordered and that it’s the only source of income she has as she tries to set up a business.
This story also takes a rare look inside the cubicles at the Child Support Services Department, where estranged parents try to work out their financial conflicts and we go behind-the-scenes in the courtroom where judges routinely order paternity testing.
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