STATE EX REL. JAMES FREDERICK ROBERTS v. ELIZABETH DALE CRAFTON - Articles

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STATE EX REL. JAMES FREDERICK ROBERTS v. ELIZABETH DALE CRAFTON

Posted by: Tanja Trezise on Apr 19, 2021

Court: TN Court of Appeals

Attorneys 1: James Frederick Roberts, pro se appellant.

Attorneys 2: Jason R. Ridenour, Memphis, Tennessee, for the appellee, Elizabeth Dale Crafton.

Attorneys 3: Herbert H. Slatery, III, Attorney General and Reporter, and Kristen Kyle-Castelli, Assistant Attorney General, for the appellee, the Tennessee Department of Human Services.

Judge(s): SWINEY

This appeal concerns a post-divorce child support matter. Elizabeth Dale Crafton (“Mother”) sued James Frederick Roberts (“Father”) for divorce. In 2007, the Circuit Court for Shelby County (“the Circuit Court”) entered a final decree of divorce in the case. In 2008, the Circuit Court entered a permanent parenting plan concerning the parties’ children. The Juvenile Court for Shelby County (“the Juvenile Court”) later accepted jurisdiction for child support matters. Father went on to file a series of motions seeking to be relieved from paying for private school tuition. In 2019, the Juvenile Court entered an order denying Father relief and resolving all outstanding matters. Father appeals, arguing among other things that the original child support order is void as against public policy for failure to adhere to the Child Support Guidelines, and that the succeeding orders are void, as well. As the original child support order did not entirely relieve the parents of their duty to support and otherwise was jurisdictionally sound, we hold that it is not void. We affirm.

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