Dr. Carlos Rivera, MD
Donation protected
On May 21, 2013, Dr. Carlos Rivera, a well respected and loved pediatrician on Long Island, New York was held in contempt for being unable to produce an astronomical $15,000 per month in stipulated child support and alimony. Though his ex wife has a college degree and former career as a special educator, she was absolved of any responsibility to financially contribute for their four children.
We are all fully aware that it takes two individuals to not only conceive a child, but to raise them as well. Both parents should be treated equally under the law. In an era of gender equality, it is an antiquated prejudice with which the courts enforce complete financial responsibility upon men, (in a "traditional" marriage). In the case of Dr Rivera, the doctrine of "In the Best Interest of the Children" with regards to "the lifestyle the children would have enjoyed had the parents remained together", is clearly propaganda to justify a gender bias in the redistribution of wealth.
Contrary to popular opinion, and prejudice, the majority of parents that find themselves in child support arrears do so because they cannot meet the punitive demands stipulated by the court.
To make matters far worse, through the devious manipulation of his ex wife, Dr Carlos has been successfully alienated from two of their four children. Though much of the outside world is fortunate to never know the emotionally devastating effects of parental alienation, we the victims, are fully aware of the tremendous suffering that results from alienation from children we love so dearly.
The traditional solution for enforcing noncustodial parents to satisfy arrears is to send them to court and threaten incarceration. This method has proven to be ineffective, since sitting in jail makes it impossible to generate an income, thus making it impossible to make child support payments while incarcerated. It is seldom the case that a parent doesn't wish to pay their child support, it’s all too often that they can’t.
Nine days after being admitted to a hospital for major depression and a nervous breakdown, Dr Carlos, with his attorney present, surrendered to a divorce stipulation that he unknowingly could not afford, nor was this fact ever explained by his attorney. Dr Carlos was ordered to pay his ex $184,000 per year based on his peak salary of $190,000. His agreement is so vague that the contract has been vulnerable to each and every subsequent legal attack by his ex.
To this day, 6 years later, family court refuses to adjust this unconscionable stipulation which has resulted in child support arrears that currently stand in excess of $600,000.00 dollars!
The current punitive demands placed on him by the office of the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) is $9,000 per month in child support and alimony, with an additional fee of $4,500 per month in child support arrears. The cumulative monthly total is $13,500 per month, which translates into a requirement to generate $450 per day. This amount does not include medical school loans and 100% responsibility for the marital debt and college tuition for all four of their children.
Dr. Carlos Rivera served 6 months in medium- maximum security jail for his inability to produce this incredible monthly sum. He has lost his pediatric practice as a result of the astronomical increase in his medical malpractice insurance premiums. Under the suffocating child support and alimony requirement he faced, he was repeatedly late on malpractice insurance payments and ultimately dropped by his malpractice insurance carrier. The resulting malpractice insurance rate increase has made it impossible for him to practice medicine again. To add insult upon injury, he lost his drivers license due to child support arrears, yet he is expected to commute work in a locale with limited public transportation.
While Dr Carlos was in jail for child support arrears he was deprived of every day items such as toothpaste, underwear, and socks because any money placed in his commissary account was 100% garnished by CSEA and applied to child support arrears. Mind you, this restriction was not placed on the inmates he was locked up with who were guilty of rape, murder, drug dealing or bank robbery.
Dr Carlos has been fighting these injustices since his incarceration, yet once again our justice system has failed him and he is facing a second incarceration for the mounting child support debt of his initial sentence.
Our system has destroyed the life of a man who worked so hard to care for children and their families as their pediatrician. Fifteen years of education along with a 15 year career serving his community has been destroyed.
At his most recent court hearing, his judge ordered a $50,000 purge amount to be produced by May 16, 2017. If this purge is met, the judge has offered to freeze his current $600,000 child support arrears and allow him a limited amount of time to "reinvent himself in a new career" with an income level "commensurate with his former $190k per year earning potential". In addition, if Dr Carlos demonstrates a true good faith execution of this offer, his judge will order that repeated incarceration would "off the table" and the punitive restrictions of the CSEA, (suspension of drivers license and 60% garnishment of any earned wages), would be suspended.
A philanthropist from a non-profit organization has offered to pay $20,000 of this lump sum payment, but Dr Carlos still needs another $30,000 to avoid repeated incarceration and the impossible punishing financial demands of his unconscionable stipulation.
We need to stand together and help this renowned pediatrician and advocate, who has been an outspoken voice for children and parents abused by the family courts. We are asking our community to come together and donate any amount affordable to help Dr Carlos not only stay out of "debtors prison" but be given the opportunity to continue his tireless efforts to protect children from Parental Alienation and fight for the rights of victims of family courts.
Please donate $5, $10, or any amount you can afford, to show your support and allow Dr Carlos to continue his fight alongside other courageous activist steadfastly committed to our cause. Free this man from the confines of our corrupt system so he can continue to advance our cause with the ultimate hope of protecting children of divorce as well as the victims of Family Court.
Thank you for your generous contribution.
We are all fully aware that it takes two individuals to not only conceive a child, but to raise them as well. Both parents should be treated equally under the law. In an era of gender equality, it is an antiquated prejudice with which the courts enforce complete financial responsibility upon men, (in a "traditional" marriage). In the case of Dr Rivera, the doctrine of "In the Best Interest of the Children" with regards to "the lifestyle the children would have enjoyed had the parents remained together", is clearly propaganda to justify a gender bias in the redistribution of wealth.
Contrary to popular opinion, and prejudice, the majority of parents that find themselves in child support arrears do so because they cannot meet the punitive demands stipulated by the court.
To make matters far worse, through the devious manipulation of his ex wife, Dr Carlos has been successfully alienated from two of their four children. Though much of the outside world is fortunate to never know the emotionally devastating effects of parental alienation, we the victims, are fully aware of the tremendous suffering that results from alienation from children we love so dearly.
The traditional solution for enforcing noncustodial parents to satisfy arrears is to send them to court and threaten incarceration. This method has proven to be ineffective, since sitting in jail makes it impossible to generate an income, thus making it impossible to make child support payments while incarcerated. It is seldom the case that a parent doesn't wish to pay their child support, it’s all too often that they can’t.
Nine days after being admitted to a hospital for major depression and a nervous breakdown, Dr Carlos, with his attorney present, surrendered to a divorce stipulation that he unknowingly could not afford, nor was this fact ever explained by his attorney. Dr Carlos was ordered to pay his ex $184,000 per year based on his peak salary of $190,000. His agreement is so vague that the contract has been vulnerable to each and every subsequent legal attack by his ex.
To this day, 6 years later, family court refuses to adjust this unconscionable stipulation which has resulted in child support arrears that currently stand in excess of $600,000.00 dollars!
The current punitive demands placed on him by the office of the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) is $9,000 per month in child support and alimony, with an additional fee of $4,500 per month in child support arrears. The cumulative monthly total is $13,500 per month, which translates into a requirement to generate $450 per day. This amount does not include medical school loans and 100% responsibility for the marital debt and college tuition for all four of their children.
Dr. Carlos Rivera served 6 months in medium- maximum security jail for his inability to produce this incredible monthly sum. He has lost his pediatric practice as a result of the astronomical increase in his medical malpractice insurance premiums. Under the suffocating child support and alimony requirement he faced, he was repeatedly late on malpractice insurance payments and ultimately dropped by his malpractice insurance carrier. The resulting malpractice insurance rate increase has made it impossible for him to practice medicine again. To add insult upon injury, he lost his drivers license due to child support arrears, yet he is expected to commute work in a locale with limited public transportation.
While Dr Carlos was in jail for child support arrears he was deprived of every day items such as toothpaste, underwear, and socks because any money placed in his commissary account was 100% garnished by CSEA and applied to child support arrears. Mind you, this restriction was not placed on the inmates he was locked up with who were guilty of rape, murder, drug dealing or bank robbery.
Dr Carlos has been fighting these injustices since his incarceration, yet once again our justice system has failed him and he is facing a second incarceration for the mounting child support debt of his initial sentence.
Our system has destroyed the life of a man who worked so hard to care for children and their families as their pediatrician. Fifteen years of education along with a 15 year career serving his community has been destroyed.
At his most recent court hearing, his judge ordered a $50,000 purge amount to be produced by May 16, 2017. If this purge is met, the judge has offered to freeze his current $600,000 child support arrears and allow him a limited amount of time to "reinvent himself in a new career" with an income level "commensurate with his former $190k per year earning potential". In addition, if Dr Carlos demonstrates a true good faith execution of this offer, his judge will order that repeated incarceration would "off the table" and the punitive restrictions of the CSEA, (suspension of drivers license and 60% garnishment of any earned wages), would be suspended.
A philanthropist from a non-profit organization has offered to pay $20,000 of this lump sum payment, but Dr Carlos still needs another $30,000 to avoid repeated incarceration and the impossible punishing financial demands of his unconscionable stipulation.
We need to stand together and help this renowned pediatrician and advocate, who has been an outspoken voice for children and parents abused by the family courts. We are asking our community to come together and donate any amount affordable to help Dr Carlos not only stay out of "debtors prison" but be given the opportunity to continue his tireless efforts to protect children from Parental Alienation and fight for the rights of victims of family courts.
Please donate $5, $10, or any amount you can afford, to show your support and allow Dr Carlos to continue his fight alongside other courageous activist steadfastly committed to our cause. Free this man from the confines of our corrupt system so he can continue to advance our cause with the ultimate hope of protecting children of divorce as well as the victims of Family Court.
Thank you for your generous contribution.
Organizer and beneficiary
Ira Scott
Organizer
Kings Park, NY
Carlos Rivera
Beneficiary
