A Florida grandmother recently found herself on the hook for thousands of dollars in child support, for a child that is not hers.
Avon Park resident Vickie Holsey started having issues in July 2013, when a court order required her to pay child support for her 2-year-old granddaughter. Further compounding the issue is that her son, the child’s father, turned 18 in January, and should now be the one legally responsible for the child’s upbringing.
All totaled, Holsey has been expected and is expected to pay over $4,000 in child support fees for a child that is not hers. She has teamed up with civil rights advocate Patricia Austin.
According to Austin, “Ms. Holsey came to me and asked me to help her because she did not know how to rectify the problem. I thought it very strange the Department of Revenue would be holding her responsible for paying for her son’s child support.”
The 2 women, after doing some research, have determined that there is no Florida statute that requires a grandparent to pay for child support. After confronting the Department of Revenue about the matter, they were told that the problem would be taken care of, and that Holsey’s paychecks would no longer be garnished.
Holsey is not satisfied with that outcome, and will be seeking reimbursement for the charges. She said to a DOR rep “we want answers as to why all this happened to begin with. I want people to understand I’ve had money wrongly taken from me and [I’m told] you’re trying to get me in the middle of a lawsuit.”
Their search is expected to continue until Holsey is reimbursed for what she has already paid.