Child support is often a critical part of a divorce, but it can also be the most contentious. Individuals may feel that they are paying too much, while others may think they are receiving too little. Whatever the case may be, it is critical that custodial parents receive the necessary child support so that they can give their children the best life possible.

Recently, a former Illinois resident found himself in trouble with the law after he failed to pay more than $200,000 in child support to his ex-wife while he was living in New Zealand.

The man has been working as a physician at a medical center in Napier, New Zealand. Despite living in a different country from the rest of his family, the man was still required to pay child support.

The man's ex-wife and his four children now live in Iowa, and he has been ordered to pay $209,000 in restitution to the Iowa Child Support Recovery unit. He will also have to serve five years of probation.

Additionally, the man will be forced to surrender his U.S. passport. He is also required to make child support payments for the two children that are still living with his ex-wife.

If the man in this case found that he could no longer afford to make child support payments, he should have sought a payment modification rather than letting it get this far. That is true for any Illinois resident who finds that they are unable to make child support payments.

Source: Chicago Tribune, "Doctor sentenced in Iowa over back child support," Jan. 19, 2012