The Court Hearing – Child Support Services

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Going to Court

The Court Hearing

Cases at the Mosk Courthouse are heard by Child Support Commissioners. The Superior Court appoints the Commissioners as temporary judges to hear child support cases.

When a case is called for hearing, a CSSD attorney introduces the case to the Commissioner and presents the guideline calculations and other information discussed during the telephonic "Meet and Confer" prior to the court date. If you have evidence that you would like the court to see, but that you did not provide to the CSSD attorney prior the court date, your case may have to be continued. Remember, the CSSD attorney does not represent either parent in the child support case.

The Commissioner will ask the parties questions about the issues in the case and may ask for more information from the CSSD attorney. If the case is about the amount of child support to be ordered, the Commissioner will usually go over the guideline calculations in detail. The Commissioner will then make an order in court and instruct the CSSD attorney to prepare a written order for the court to sign.

The Commissioner may also decide to postpone (continue) the case to another day, for example, to have the parties bring in financial papers. Please see Continuances for more information.

If one of the parties does not attend the hearing, the court may decide the case and make an order anyway. If the party who filed the motion does not appear on the court date, the court will usually (but not always) take the case "off calendar".

Glossary Terms

Answer: A legal document that responds to a Complaint and must be filed with the court by the Person Paying Support. In general, an Answer can be used to ask for genetic testing or a chance to go to court about the amount of child support. A blank Answer form is served on the Person Paying Support with the Summons and Complaint/Proposed Judgment.

Arrears: Past-due unpaid support, including interest.

CalWORKs: Welfare Program

Central Civil West (CCW): Central Civil West District of the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles. The courthouse is located at 600 S. Commonwealth Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90005.

Court Hearing: If the PPS files an Answer with the court clerk, the case will be scheduled for a court hearing. A PPS may request Genetic Testing to determine if he is the biological father of the child and may ask the court to decide the amount of child support. If the PPS does not attend the hearing, the court may make an order without him or her.

CSSD: Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department – The agency responsible for managing the child support program in Los Angeles County.

Default: An action that is automatically taken when someone does not respond to legal papers or show up to court as expected.

Default Judgment: In general, if the PPS did not file an Answer to the S&C within 30 days, and a stipulation has not been reached, the judicial officer may enter a Judgment by default. This means the judicial officer may enter a final Judgment based on the terms of the Proposed Judgment, without a court hearing and without any input from the PPS.

Direct Deposit: You can have the payments automatically deposited into a checking or savings account. There are several ways to enroll

Electronic Payment Card (EPC): You receive a Mastercard branded card that works like a debit card. You can receive support payments easier, faster and have access to the funds 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The card can be used everywhere Mastercard is accepted. Some fees may be associated with the Electronic Payment Card.

Emancipate: Refers to legal emancipation, which frees a minor child (under 18) from the parents’ control if the minor marries, joins the armed forces, or gets a court order of emancipation. A parent does not have to pay current child support for an emancipated minor.

File: Submitting paperwork to the court clerk.

Guideline Calculator: The California Guideline Child Support Calculator – Online tool that can be used to estimate the amount of child support that may be ordered in your case. The calculator is based on child support guidelines set by law in California.

Income Withholding Order (IWO): Income Withholding Order – A document that tells an employer to withhold a specific amount of money from a Person Paying Support's wages for support and to send it to the State Disbursement Unit.

Judgment: A final determination by the court about the rights and responsibilities of the parties in a case, which usually establishes parentage (who the parent of the child is), and orders child support and health insurance.

Judicial officers: A Judge, or a Commissioner who is appointed by a Judge to hear a child support case.

Local child support agency (LCSA): The agency in each county that is responsible for managing the child support program.

Modification: A court-ordered change to an order, e.g., the amount of current child support ordered may be modified up or down.

National Medical Support Notice (NMSN): A notice that acts as an order requiring the employer (or other group providing health insurance) to enroll the employee’s child in the employer’s health insurance plan.

NRPS: A document that tells the Person Paying Support that support payments must be made to the State Disbursement Unit.

Order: A command of the court that decides an issue or directs action.

Parentage: Parent-child relationship (who the parent of the child is).

Passport Denial Program (PDP): Passport Denial Program.

Person Paying Support (PPS): Parent who the child does not live with most of the time.

Person Receiving Support (PRS): Parent or legal caretaker who the child lives with most of the time.

PPS: Person Paying Support - Parent who the child does not live with most of the time.

PRS: Person Receiving Support – Parent or legal caretaker who the child lives with most of the time.

Serve: Deliver legal paperwork to a party.

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Servicemembers Civil Relief Act – Provides special protections to active members of the armed forces.

State Disbursement Unit (SDU): State Disbursement Unit – A central payment processing site that is responsible for collecting and distributing child support payments.

Stipulation: Agreement.

Summons and Complaint and Proposed Judgment (S&C): Summons and Complaint/Proposed Judgment – A set of legal documents filed with the court and served on the Person Paying Support telling him or her of the lawsuit for parentage or child support.