LETTER OF SATISFACTION

UPDATE: Paula finally filed a letter of satisfaction in January for $4355 in child support I paid directly to her from August 2021 to August 2022 after she had procrastinated for 552 days. Since she procrastinated for so long, my balance owed fell below the amount I paid her. For reasons unknown to me, CSS can only give me credit for no more than the amount owed today. This is spelled out in legal documents. See screenshot below (#5). Paula argues that it is not her fault that I did not receive full credit for $4355 when it absolutely is her fault for procrastinating. She even tried to claim that CSS must have applied the amount not credited towards my child support to another bill. Basically, she is alleging CSS used money it never received to pay off an imaginary debt I owe to them where they do not actually get paid. As such, she is refusing to pay back the amount I have overpaid her. Of course, the court documents do not mention the imaginary debt I owe to CSS. Also, my wages are garnished. I cannot simply stop paying, as she suggested (see screenshot below), for as many weeks as it takes to make up the difference. And if my wages were not garnished and I was sending payments to CSS, my balance would go up for every missed payment. Therefore, nothing would be accomplished. 

She also claims I have not paid my share of medical costs as stipulated to in our settlement as an excuse to deny repayment. She argues the unstated amount I avoided paying for bills she never mentioned actually puts her ahead. She is responsible for the first $250 each year not covered by insurance and all costs above that amount are basically split. I seriously doubt, given Parker's limited medical issues, that Paula has paid approximately $2400 in medical expenses after the first $250 not covered by her insurance, which she would have to do to make us at least even if she paid my share. Depending on how many years the first $250 was exceeded, she would have paid between $2650 and $4900 towards medical expenses for a child that has had no significant illnesses or injuries without saying a word until the very moment it gave her a convenient excuse to avoid repaying me. Again, she never mentioned a single bill to me. Therefore, she does not have me on record refusing to pay my share of any bill. The truth is that whenever I took Parker to the doctor, I received and paid for bills not covered by her insurance.

That said, if this is the game we are going to play, I have paid her $45K in child support while Parker has been in my care greater than a year more in real time. On paper, she should have been significantly more responsible. Therefore, she has avoided the costs of him being in her care for much less time than granted to her by the courts while still being paid for that time. My mom and I have paid for much more of his basic needs (the stated purpose of child support) over the past ten years on top of the child support I have paid.

At our November 2016 mediation, I offered to pay all medical costs not covered by insurance in exchange for equal overnights. She rejected that offer. That said, I would happily pay for all medical costs if granted shared care and taken off of child support. If I had this deal from the beginning, I would be significantly better off today. What are the odds that Paula would turn down the $45K gift (so far) handed to her by the courts, money she did not work for or earn, in exchange for me paying all medical costs or the costs she claims as an excuse for not paying me back if she had to do it all over again? Less than zero?

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As of October 8th, 2024, Paula O’Dell has withheld a letter of satisfaction for 445 days thereby denying me credit for $4335 in child support I paid directly to her from August 2021 through August 2022. It has been 223 days since I provided her with the proof of payment documentation that she requested. She has conceded that I paid her based on the context of her previous statements including the text above. Without the letter of satisfaction, I still “owe” $3774 according to CSRU. I should be up $561. Therefore, Paula is choosing to steal money I already paid her for child support. Furthermore, I have paid Paula more than $40K in child support since 2015 for a child that has been at my home greater than a year more in real time compared to hers. Paula denied me a 50-50 custody settlement without justification nine years ago after agreeing to a similar deal in her divorce settlement from the father of her two daughters less than a year earlier. 

The  first email above is her response to me after I told her I disputed the amount of $9045 that CSRU claimed I owed. This is when she told me about the option to file a letter of satisfaction to give me credit for the amount I paid her directly. As far as I am concerned, this response qualifies as her conceding that I paid her and a letter of satisfaction is warranted. If not, why even mention the option and tell me that she just needs to go the courthouse?

The second email is her response to me asking for the letter of satisfaction seven months later because she had not yet provided it. Here she claims she only conceded that she knew she had the option to file a letter of satisfaction rather than conceding I paid her. But again, if I never paid her, why even bring up a letter of satisfaction? After all, if she knows I did not pay her and I know I did not I pay her, I would not expect to get a letter of satisfaction that I did not know was a thing until she told me about it when she had no reason to do so.