How can people get away with such blatantly dirty legal tricks?

My daughter had her oldest son in 2007. She wasn’t married to the father. He had almost nothing to do with the child for the first few months. My daughter worked hard to keep him in their son’s life because she didn’t want him growing up without his father, the way she had to.

After he was born she had a section 8 apartment (paid for by the state.) She also filed for state cash assistance. She got one check, for $350.

One day, as she was here at my house, there was a knock on the door and she was served papers. The papers stated that she had missed a court hearing and a judgement against her had been filed. She lost 51% custody of her son, and was ordered to pay child support.

The father has, and still has, a very good job with the city. He could afford attorneys and such. She couldn’t.

We managed to get a hold of a state attorney who was willing to take the case for less than the usual amount, but which was still beyond her ability to pay. She accompanied us to the next hearing, but that’s all the further she was willing to help.

Apparently, after my daughter got that one check for $350, they went after the father for reimbursement. The father got pissed, hired an attorney and took my daughter to court out of revenge.

Turns out they had sent the paperwork notifying her of the first hearing to an address that didn’t even exist. That address in no way shape or form even remotely resembled any place she had ever lived.

Apparently the judge didn’t think that was important, and the ruling, as it was, stood.

How was the father able to get away with this? Especially since, obviously, he had my address, but didn’t send anything here either, until time for the second hearing.