Alimony Ambush
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - An Israeli man who refused to provide child support to his ex-wife for nearly eight years finally had to start paying up when he remarried and police raided the reception to seize wedding gifts.
The 40-year-old man had managed to avoid payments since 1997 by frequently changing address to escape the clutches of the law, Israel’s Maariv daily reported Friday.
With 198,000 shekels ($45,530) owed to her, his ex-wife finally tracked him down when a relative passed on a copy of a wedding invitation for his second marriage this week.
Police and bailiffs allowed the newlyweds to celebrate before confronting the groom and confiscating the wedding hall’s safe in which guests had deposited cash and checks, a tradition for Israeli nuptials.
Police decided not to arrest the stunned groom, but that was of little consolation to his distraught bride, who fainted as her wedding turned into a nightmare.
December 11th, 2004 at 10:07 pm
That is freakin awesome. I hope they dont bust in on the Honeymoon and take anything there.
December 16th, 2004 at 10:50 am
This IS awesome. I may not have warm fuzzies for my ex-wife anymore but I will forever and ALWAYS make sure my baby girl is taken care of. I paid child support for 19 months before court order made it official. You HAVE to support your kids. They are God’s gift to us.
December 16th, 2004 at 4:27 pm
My wife is an attorney, and for a time she worked in family & divorce law. The stories she has about people hiding money from each other are unbelievable.
December 16th, 2004 at 5:27 pm
When families split up it is always tough on the kids, but the process doesnt have to be painful for the kids. I congragulate you jimvford. I have some employees that always are trying to cheat the system. No one seems to tell them that when they cheat the system they are cheating their kids.
Then Again some ppl dont care.
My First child is on the way, and I already know nothing will prevent me from taking care of my kid the best I can.
December 17th, 2004 at 8:12 am
Don’t get me wrong. I struggled with my ex for a long time, trying to get her to settle for less money (since she didn’t earn any of it) from the marital assets. And we went through 19 months of court battling for custody. BUT…. my little girl still and will always need her Daddy. Check out her recent letter to Santa: http://www.jimvford.com/news.php?view=article&naid=61
Kids are God’s gift and blessing to us. Now… is there TOO much child support? When I tell me friends how much I pay AND that I have to cover full medical/dental all because my ex’s career consists of tending the register at a hardware store… their jaws drop. It’s ridiculous. And I have no way to know if it’s being spent on my baby or new skirting around the single-wide they live in. I am a strong proponent of child support and custody/tort reform. There are a lot of us great Dads who get totally screwed because we don’t have a vagina. Hope not to offend any distinguished female guests on this post, but that’s what it boils down to. The man could be 10 times more capable of providing a warm, loving, nurturing, stable, etc. life for a child. But without the vagina… you ain’t getting the kid.
December 17th, 2004 at 8:48 am
It is very unfortunate that the women almost always get the Child in a divorce. You are exactly right, there are times when the father in more capable, but will not get custody.
I was raised by my father, and I am a better person for it.
Dude that letter was precious, It makes me wish my kid was here now.
February 15th, 2005 at 10:59 pm
If I had been raised by my father, I know I would have had a better childhood for it. I think its unfair to the father, and mabey that has something to do with uncomitted fathers these days?