My story is one of horror. I was married for several years. A child was born within the marriage. I loved him with all my heart. Due to my wife wild sexual desires, I divorced her in 1994. I was stationed overseas but traveled to my home of record, Florida to submit the paperwork for the divorce. My child support payments were $105.00 per week and the divorce decree stipulated joint custody. From 1994 to present, my ex-wife would not let me see nor talk to the child. The U.S. ARMY would not get involved. Finally in 1999, she got stationed at the same duty station where I was stationed. Before her arrival, she wrote the Florida courts and requested to terminate my parental rights. She based her request on the fact that I had not seen the child since our divorce. I quickly responded by providing proof to the courts about my attempts to see the child. Nothing came of her request. When that failed, she started bragging to my co-workers that I was not the biological father. After hearing this several times, I requested a DNA test in Virginia (where I was stationed). The test revealed that I was not the biological father. In spite of telling the judge the details of why I requested the test, he ruled that I still had to continue paying child support. He failed to address the visitation issue. Here I was crushed about the fact that I now had no children and still had to pay 65% of my Army retirement check and the judge didn't enforce my visitation rights. I decided to go back to Florida. After months of submitting documents and paying lawyers that ripped me off, I got my court date on 3 Aug 2001. I flew from Virginia for this court date. When I got there, I was met by a General Master, not a judge. He already had his mind made up. I started to explain the DNA test, etc, he cut me off several times, all the while, asking "What do you want me to do"? The bottom line, he would not help me. He would not enforce my visitation rights. He would not accept the DNA test. He would not acknowledge the request to terminate my parental rights. He would not terminate child support payments or reduce them. I realized that I had wasted my time and money by going to Florida. By the way, my ex-wife didn't show, she wrote a letter that I could punch holes in everything you wrote. She started out by saying that the child was mine. After that first line, her lies got worst. Still I could not be helped. What can I do? I will tell you this--I will not give up. No court in this world should make a man pay for a child that is not his. Freddie Storey
|
Dads of Florida. Fathers helping children by helping Fathers
Free
web hosting for non-profit Community Service Organizations
Tony Spalding. |