Just because you’ve won a personal injury settlement does not necessarily mean you’ll get to keep the entirety of it. If you have outstanding balances in one of a variety of situations, it’s very possible that a lien could be placed against your settlement to collect those owed balances.
One of these situations is with back child support. If you owe child support in Ohio, the state enforcement agency may come after a portion or all of your settlement to satisfy the owed balance.
Workers’ Compensation Awards Can Be Taken, Too
If you owe back child support, some or all of your workers’ comp award can be taken out to work towards paying off the owed balance. Additionally, whether the benefits are temporary or permanent, those may be considered income (depending upon whether the benefits are recurring or non-recurring) when calculating the amount of child support you may owe. Also, the custodial parent can collect child support through a portion of your ongoing disability checks (similar to wage garnishment).
Above all, if you anticipate that child support or another private or public entity may want to place a lien on your settlement, you’ll want to enlist the help of an experienced personal injury attorney to have an aggressive representative on your side who can advocate on your behalf. Call Garretson & Holcomb, LLC today at (513) 863-6600 to learn more about our experience in Butler and Warren Counties.
