You sure do! New Jersey law specifically states that when a person receives “net proceeds” from any lawsuit, civil judgment, civil arbitration award, inheritance or worker’s compensation award over $2,000, any child support judgment must be paid up to date.
If a New Jersey attorney is involved, the NJ attorney must initiate a search of child support judgments through a private judgment search company to determine if the person is a NJ child support judgment debtor.
If your attorney does not complete this search, as required by law, he or she could be held personally responsible for any deficiency in their client’s NJ child support obligations. If there are no attorneys on the case, there are other procedures to follow.
Some attorneys also claim that a Patriot Act Search must be completed due to President Bush’s Executive Order.
I think this is a good law. If someone comes into money due to a personal injury or other case, and if he or she is behind on their child support payments, then he or she should tender up and bring their account up to balance.
