Hawkins family court costs
Donation protected
My name is Ed, and I'm asking for money to put towards attorney and court fees.
In 2014 I divorced my wife, following a very hard year wherein we tried to relocate to Idaho for job reasons, both our fathers went through chemotherapy for lymphoma, our dog died, and a close friend took his life.
My children live in Las Vegas with their mother. I travel from Portland Oregon twice a month to spend the weekend with my kids. Between the travel, child support, and school costs, more than 50% of my net salary is devoted to my children. I've managed to make this work for several years by reducing monthly expenditures where possible, taking advantage of frequent flier programs, staying with friends whenever possible, and relying heavily on credit cards. Between air travel, rental car, and the regularly increasing need for a hotel room, the average monthly cost for travel in 2017 is around $1200.
This is no longer sustainable, and my attempts to negotiate with my ex-wife for a reduction in some costs have not been successful.
The situation is somewhat complicated. She and the children were living in Idaho when we separated. She had moved from an industry job in Las Vegas into an academic teaching job in Idaho. I was still living and working in Las Vegas while searching for a job in Idaho, and regularly commuting back and forth between the two states. We had bought a house in Boise, relocated all our possessions and my parents had moved to join us. Following our separation, I accepted a job in Portland, the first job I was offered after a year long search. Portland is closer to Boise than Las Vegas, and with my parents now living in Boise too, I had the opportunity to greatly reduce travel costs by staying with them when visiting the children, and eliminating the need for hotels and rental cars.
Shortly after the divorce was filed in Idaho, my children's mother decided to move back to Las Vegas and accepted a position at her old company, while the divorce case proceeded in Idaho. This has led to a somewhat confusing determination of costs and jurisdiction, with the case being in Idaho, where no one has lived for several years, child support calculated on outdated and inaccurate salary information, and travel cost accommodations calculated on the premise that I moved away, when I was trying to move closer.
I've been very lucky to have the support of friends and loved ones through this process, without which I'm not certain how I could proceed to see my children regularly. I am very grateful to the people in my life who have provided material and emotional support during a very trying time. I'm very uncomfortable doing so, but I find myself in a position where I need to ask for more material support. I have been saving a small amount of cash with the anticipation of someday needing to pay more attorney and court fees. That day has come, and I will not have enough.
I'm asking for your contribution towards those fees. I'm being told that costs could reach $10,000 at a time when I am nearly out of cash and credit both. Any amount collected over and above the goal of this campaign and the fees required for courts and attorneys, will be applied to future travel costs to continue seeing my children.
Thank you.
In 2014 I divorced my wife, following a very hard year wherein we tried to relocate to Idaho for job reasons, both our fathers went through chemotherapy for lymphoma, our dog died, and a close friend took his life.
My children live in Las Vegas with their mother. I travel from Portland Oregon twice a month to spend the weekend with my kids. Between the travel, child support, and school costs, more than 50% of my net salary is devoted to my children. I've managed to make this work for several years by reducing monthly expenditures where possible, taking advantage of frequent flier programs, staying with friends whenever possible, and relying heavily on credit cards. Between air travel, rental car, and the regularly increasing need for a hotel room, the average monthly cost for travel in 2017 is around $1200.
This is no longer sustainable, and my attempts to negotiate with my ex-wife for a reduction in some costs have not been successful.
The situation is somewhat complicated. She and the children were living in Idaho when we separated. She had moved from an industry job in Las Vegas into an academic teaching job in Idaho. I was still living and working in Las Vegas while searching for a job in Idaho, and regularly commuting back and forth between the two states. We had bought a house in Boise, relocated all our possessions and my parents had moved to join us. Following our separation, I accepted a job in Portland, the first job I was offered after a year long search. Portland is closer to Boise than Las Vegas, and with my parents now living in Boise too, I had the opportunity to greatly reduce travel costs by staying with them when visiting the children, and eliminating the need for hotels and rental cars.
Shortly after the divorce was filed in Idaho, my children's mother decided to move back to Las Vegas and accepted a position at her old company, while the divorce case proceeded in Idaho. This has led to a somewhat confusing determination of costs and jurisdiction, with the case being in Idaho, where no one has lived for several years, child support calculated on outdated and inaccurate salary information, and travel cost accommodations calculated on the premise that I moved away, when I was trying to move closer.
I've been very lucky to have the support of friends and loved ones through this process, without which I'm not certain how I could proceed to see my children regularly. I am very grateful to the people in my life who have provided material and emotional support during a very trying time. I'm very uncomfortable doing so, but I find myself in a position where I need to ask for more material support. I have been saving a small amount of cash with the anticipation of someday needing to pay more attorney and court fees. That day has come, and I will not have enough.
I'm asking for your contribution towards those fees. I'm being told that costs could reach $10,000 at a time when I am nearly out of cash and credit both. Any amount collected over and above the goal of this campaign and the fees required for courts and attorneys, will be applied to future travel costs to continue seeing my children.
Thank you.
Organizer
Ed Hawkins
Organizer
Portland, OR
