On behalf of The Walters Law Group, Ltd. posted in Child Support on Thursday, September 12, 2013.
An Illinois woman has found herself pitted against an unlikely foe in efforts to secure money for her and her children following a divorce. The insurance company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has refused to comply with a request from the divorced woman to withhold reimbursements to her husband, a self-employed chiropractor, so that she can receive the child support payments to which she and her children are entitled.
Blue Cross has contended that it does not meet the definition of “payor” according to Illinois state child support laws. The insurance company, however, provides a large portion of her ex-husband’s income, a fact that prompted the woman to request that medical reimbursements be withheld from her ex-spouse. An Illinois appellate court ruled in the woman’s favor in 2010. A Cook County judge has also recently admonished Blue Cross for not withholding funds so the woman can receive her child support payments.
The insurance giant is expected to file appeals to avoid paying out as much as $5 million to the woman and her children for as long as it can. When the couple divorced in 2008, the divorce agreement stipulated that the chiropractor was supposed to pay his ex-wife approximately $930 per week in alimony, child support and medical insurance premiums. The woman said, however, that she never received payments on time or in the correct amount.
Although the situation is unusual, it shows that many options are open to divorced women who may not receive proper support payments from their former spouses. Knowledgeable Illinois family law attorneys may be able to help single mothers explore their options and secure the payments to which they and their children are entitled.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “Woman battling Blue Cross over child support“, Lisa Black, September 01, 2013