Is it legal to pay legal fees with received Child Support money?

Where can I find information? or Which law states that the use of Social Security benefits or Child Support is NOT to be used as payment for legal/attorney fees?

The "child" in this case is a 32 yrs. old woman who is mentally handicapped (mentally 12yrs. old), whose mother/tutor uses money for legal fees. Doesn't let dad see the daughter. And has been ordered by the court to submit a report of expenses every 6 months (has only rendered 1 in 2 years).

Case has been going on for more than 11 years.

I've never heard of any law that stipulates how child support money is to be spent. This is up to the parent with care and control of the child to determine what is in the best interests of the child. Personally, I would say using that $$ to pay legal fees in a battle to get the child more security would be in the best interests of the child.

Paying child support has nothing to do with visitation and access. If the person wants access, he needs to apply to the courts for it.

As a general rule, child support money is not restricted as to how it is spent. It is paid to the custodial parent to cover her general costs related to supporting the child. There is no obligation on her to keep child support money in a seperate "pot" to use only to pay child related expenses.

BUT.... you have said that the court is requiring a report of expenses, which means that this general rule "may not" apply in this specific case, as a result of some court order.

However, even if it doesn't, legal fees related to custody or SS hearings are a child related expenses and could be paid from child support even if it was restricted.

Richard

Same thing as the above answer.

If the father wanted to see the daughter, he would have look into how to do this by now. Eleven years is a long time to suffer without trying to get relief.

How can you tell what she uses the money for? Which dollar went for groceries and which went for legal fees? Once they're in the checking account, how can you tell them apart.

Are you the father? Maybe you don't have all the facts.

uhm does the person paying child support have a lawyer? why would the mother even have to pay attorney fees? i dont get it. think about it this way if she is using the child support money to pay attorney fees then she has to be paying 100% of the child care with your own money. either way she is paying for the child sorry.