N.C. Law Declares Open Season on Deadbeat Parents

Raleigh, NC-Rosen Law Firm advises its clientsRosen, a board certified family law specialist and
against a law that could affect their hobbies andpresident of Rosen Law Firm. "Telling a parent
careers. Non-custodial parents who haven't beenthey have to pay support sometimes isn't
keeping up with their child support payments couldenough--you need to threaten them that if they
find their ability to hunt curtailed under a state lawdon't their life will be less because of it."
aimed at penalizing deadbeat parents.So the day after Thanksgiving, when hunting
The law G.S. 50-13.12, which is a decade old, saysseason begins in earnest, thousands of North
a judge can revoke a person's hunting license ifCarolinians head out in search for an 8-point buck.
that person fails to pay child support. Judges canFor those with child support obligations, theyneed
also revoke other privileges including driving andto make sure they've paid their dues.
professional licenses. The statute says that theRosen has been practicing divorce law in North
'forfeiture of licensing privileges may be taken forCarolina for more than twenty years. "Before this
failure to pay child support or failure to complylaw was established, getting deadbeat parents to
with subpoena pursuant to child support ofpay up was like getting a 10-year-old to clean up
paternity establishment proceedings'.their room, " says Rosen.
The question is whether revoking licenses is aStatutes:
good incentive for parents to keep up with child1.G.S. 50-13.12:
support payments. "For a lot of people in North2.G.S. 110-142.
Carolina, hunting is a popular pastime," says Lee