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How to file child support in maryland


Child Support Checklist | The Maryland People's Law Library

1. Where should I file my complaint for child support?

You should file your complaint for child support in the state and in the county (including Baltimore City) that is the domicile of your child. A person only has one domicile. A child's domicile is the place of the child’s true, fixed and permanent home.

The court has continuing jurisdiction over the support of the child. The parties need not be married. A guardian or third party who has been granted custody of the child can also seek child support.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Family Law § 1-201

 

2. Is the action between the natural parents or is a third party involved?

  • A third party may be involved if the child is cared for by a State agency or someone other than the biological parents.
  • If the third party has an existing guardianship or custody order for the child, the third party may file a complaint for child support against the natural parents.
  • If the third party does not have legal guardianship or custody of the child, the third party would need to file a petition with the court to legalize their relationship with the child and to ask for support.

 

3. Is there a dispute about paternity?

If there is a paternity dispute, the mother can go to the local child support enforcement agency, represent herself, or seek private counsel. Establishing paternity involves the rules for introducing evidence so it may be best to be represented by a lawyer – either through the government or a private attorney.

Paternity must be established before child support can be awarded.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Family Law § 5-1010

 

4. Is there an existing Custody/Visitation Order?

If there is no existing Custody/Visitation Order, then you may wish to file a Complaint for Custody along with child support. This can help because child support will be addressed by the court in the Custody case. While the parties may be friendly now, a Custody Order can help if the parties disagree later. If you do not wish to pursue custody or already have a custody order, go to #5.

 

5. Is there a current Child Support Order?

If Yes - Are the parties complying with the order?

If Yes- You must show a “material change in circumstances” to have the existing order changed.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Family Law § 12-104

A material change includes when a parent owing child support meets or no longer meets the following:

  • lives with the child and is contributing to the child's support, OR
  • is unemployed, has no financial resources to pay child support, and
    • is incarcerated or expected to remain incarcerated for the remainder of the time that the parent has a legal duty to support the child,
    • is institutionalized in a psychiatric care facility and is expected to remain institutionalized for the remainder of the time that the parent has a legal duty to support the child,
    • is totally and permanently disabled, is unable to obtain or maintain employment, and has no income other than Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, or
    • is unable to obtain or maintain employment in the foreseeable future due to compliance with criminal detainment, hospitalization, or rehabilitation treatment plan.

Read the law: Md. Code, Family Law § 12-202

What is a material change is up to the court. There may be other circumstances or situations that a court may consider as a material change. A court won’t change the order without a clearly indicated change in circumstances, needs, and financial condition of the parties.

Read the case: Guidash v. Guidash, 211 Md.App. 725 (Court of Special Appeals 2013)

No set percentage increase in expenses and income has been held to meet the "material change" requirement. However, the courts have often found that a greater than 25% difference is a material change. If there is a material change, then file Motion to Modify Child Support with a Financial Statement.

If there is a Child Support Enforcement Order issued, call the Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) to determine if they are required to enforce the order. Sometimes CSEA will act as a collector/distributor.

If CSEA is required to enforce the order, ask that they do so. They may require you to do this in writing. Even if they don't require it to be in writing, it is best if you send them a letter. Keep copies of all letters that you send. Take notes on all your phone conversations. Be sure to include the date, time, and name of the person you spoke with.

 

6. What if a child support order has been issued?

If a Child Support Enforcement Order has been issued, file the following documents:

  • Petition/Motion for Contempt
  • Blank Show Cause Order
  • Blank Earnings Withholding Order 

You can get help from the Child Support Enforcement Administration even if you are not on Temporary Cash Assistance by paying $25.00 to the agency and asking them to assign a lawyer. The lawyer assigned to the case represents the Child Support Enforcement Agency and you.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Family Law § 10-115

You may also hire a private lawyer.

 

7. If no child support order Has been issued and the parties cannot agree to a set amount for child support, follow these steps.

Alternative #1: Child support services are available to all Maryland parents. A parent can ask for a Child Support Enforcement Agency attorney to be assigned to his/her case even if the parent is not on Temporary Cash Assistance by paying $25.00 to the agency and requesting assignment of an attorney. However, the government child support attorney does not represent any individual party. The role of the attorney is to represent the Agency to get a support obligation that is in the best interest of the child.

Alternative #2: File the complaint yourself and turn the Child Support Order over to the Child Support Enforcement Agency for collection.

Alternative #3: File the Complaint for Child Support yourself and attempt collection yourself through the courts after you receive a child support order.

Enforcement & Collection of Child Support

Topics on this page

  • Ask the Local Child Support Agency to Help You Enforce the Order
  • Use the Government's Parent Locator Service
  • Obtain a Wage Assignment
  • Ask the Court to Find the Person Who Owes Child Support in Contempt.
  • Loss of Driver's License & Child Support

If you are supposed to be receiving child support payments on behalf of a child or children, and the other parent is not making timely or complete child support payments, there are a number of steps you can take to enforce court-ordered child support. If you are required to pay child support, you should be aware of some of the measures that can be taken should you fail to fulfill your support obligation. A good place to start looking for information is the Frequently Asked Questions pages linked from the Child Support Resources page on the Maryland Department of Human Resources website.

 

Ask the Local Child Support Agency to Help You Enforce the Order

Families receiving public assistance. In Maryland, each county has a Child Support Enforcement Agency location that can assist custodial parents in establishing an order for, and collecting child support from the other parent. A list of locations is available online here. This agency is responsible for collecting child support for families receiving cash assistance. If you receive cash assistance, medical assistance, or have not received at least $3,500 of child support within a 12-month period beginning October 1 of each year, child support services will be provided free of charge.

If you do receive cash assistance in Maryland, you must assign child support rights to the state. This means that the state of Maryland will have the right to collect the child support owed to you as reimbursement for the cash assistance you are receiving from the State. You must also help to locate the parent who is absent from the home. If you do not cooperate, you may be denied public assistance benefits.

Families not receiving public assistance. The local child support agency can also help parents who do not receive public assistance. The agency will assign a child support worker, and if necessary, an attorney to go to court to enforce the order. To apply for the agency’s help, you must complete an application and pay a one-time, non-refundable $15 fee. In addition to the $15 application fee, your case will be charged an annual $15 after you receive $3,500 in child support collections for that year.

Tools the Agency can use to collect child support. If the noncustodial parent does not pay on time, or does not pay in full, the child support enforcement office may:

  1. Withhold child support from wages and unemployment benefits, Workers’ Compensation claims, etc;
  2. Intercept federal and state tax refunds to pay child support arrears;
  3. Report parents owing past-due support to credit bureaus;
  4. Report parents owing child support to new employers;
  5. Refer parents owing past-due support to the Motor Vehicle Administration for driver’s license suspension;
  6. Intercept Maryland lottery winnings to pay child support arrears;
  7. Garnish accounts at financial institutions’
  8. Request the suspension or revocation of a professional or recreational license;
  9. Bring contempt of court actions against that parent;
  10. Issue an administrative lien on real or personal property and seize assets for past due support;
  11. Deny the issuance or renewal of a passport; and
  12. Refer cases for federal prosecution when non-custodial parents move to another state to avoid paying child support.

Contact the Child Support Enforcement Agency at 800-332-6347 for additional information.

 

Use the Government's Parent Locator Service

Nonpaying parents may hide from the custodial parent in order to avoid their child support obligation. They may even go so far as to move out of state to avoid their responsibilities.

To fix this problem, the federal government has created the Parent Locator Service. Details are available online here: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css/resource/federal-parent-locator-service-information-for-families. States are also required to establish a Parent Locator Services.

The service allows the use of federal government resources (including the Social Security Administration and the IRS) to locate a nonpaying parent's employer. You would not make a direct request for information. Rather, you would need to work with your local child support agency in order to use the Parent Locator Service. Once found, the custodial parent or the state can enforce the child support order and collect unpaid support recovering support from tax refunds. The law also permits the IRS to pay past due child support from tax refunds that the nonpaying parent is due from the government.

For more information on the Federal Parent Locator Service, contact the local office of the Department of Health and Human Services.

 

A wage assignment is a special procedure that allows the court to order an employer to make direct payments to the custodial parent from the wages of the supporting parent. You can ask that the other parent’s wages be withheld and the payment sent directly to you through an earnings withholding order. You can ask the court for this order when child support is first awarded or later on if the person fails to pay support. Notice of this action must be served on the paying parent's employer. The employer will deduct child support like any other deduction from the paying parent's paycheck and send the money directly to the custodial parent. If the nonpaying parent holds a steady job, this is a very valuable tool.

 

Ask the Court to Find the Person Who Owes Child Support in Contempt.

If a person willfully disobeys a lawful child support order, they can be found in contempt of court. Once the court finds that person in contempt, the court can order a number of remedies, including that the person be temporarily incarcerated until they pay a certain amount established by the court to “purge” the contempt. The civil contempt action is brought by the custodial parent or the local child support agency acting on their behalf.

If you are representing yourself, you can find a Petition for Contempt on the Maryland Courts website. Once the petition is filed, the nonpaying parent will have to be notified (served with process) since he or she has the Constitutional right to appear at the hearing and present a defense. The court will schedule a hearing to determine if the person should be found in contempt.

 

Loss of Driver's License & Child Support

I received a Notice of Driver License Suspension. What Can I do?

If you are 60 days or more behind on your child support obligation, the Child Support Enforcement Administration is supposed to notify the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), which will then suspend your driver’s license. However, before notifying the MVA, the Child Support Enforcement Administration must send you written notice that includes an explanation of your right to request an investigation if you disagree with the suspension.

It is important that you do not miss the deadline stated in the notice.

Be sure to date your request for investigation and keep a copy for your records. The Child Support Enforcement Administration must then conduct an investigation and send you a notice of the results. The notice should explain your right to further appeal if you disagree with the decision. Date your appeal request and keep a copy for your records.

 

My License Has Been Suspended. Now What?

If your driver’s license has already been suspended, you can also try to file a motion to reinstate your driver’s license with the court which issued the child support order. You should include in your motion why you think the suspension is in error and/or why you believe it is in your children’s best interests for your driver’s license to be reinstated. For example, you may need your license to complete training school.

The Child Support Enforcement Administration must tell the MVA to reinstate your license once the arrearages (amount of money owed) are paid in full or if you have "demonstrated good faith" by paying the ordered amount of support for 6 consecutive months after the suspension.

You can contact the Child Support Enforcement Administration by calling their main office at (800) 332-6347.

You can also use the myDHR system, to check the status of your case online. You can use your nine-digit Child Support case number when you create a login. You can find the Child Support case number on your check.

 

Request a Restricted License.

If you are currently working and your driver’s license has been suspended, you can request a work-restricted driver’s license. To do this, you should obtain a letter from your employer verifying your employment. Next, contact your agent at your local child support enforcement office and arrange a meeting to present the proof of employment and request a work-restricted license. The Child Support Enforcement Administration should then provide you with the paperwork to take to the MVA to get the restricted license.

You can contact the Child Support Enforcement Administration main office by calling (800) 332-6347 or by calling your local area office .

Do I have to put myself on child support?

child support is based on income and custody, not gender. Both women and men are entitled to child custody and child support . Guardian parents - whether they are fathers or mothers, are legally allowed to collect child support.

Does Alipt fall if the father has another child?

When this parent has another child, he is now responsible for supporting two children. So the court is likely to split the amount of the total support so that each of the children gets an equal percentage for their help.

How can a man win child support?

Work can be a personal reward as well as a means of paying bills.

  1. Stand on your own. …
  2. Hire a good tax accountant. …
  3. Pay only what you get credit for. …
  4. Tell child support if your income drops. …
  5. Tax returns laying fast if your income falls. …
  6. Avoid triggering change of valuation (COA) …
  7. Initiate valuation change.

How do you deal with child support?

The first step is to contact the Office of Support Enforcement in your state and ask them to file a formal proposal to change your support obligations. In most cases, the law prohibits a judge from retroactively reducing child support, even if the reduction is reasonable after the fact.

Why is child support so unfair to fathers?

Here are all the reasons why this is unfair to dads: child support is based on the assumption that one parent (the mother) takes care of the children while the other (the father) pays for them . It is the shoes of men and women in sexist roles, with men forced to become the breadwinner.

How long does it take to start child support?

The usual time for a paternity and/or support case is 6 to 8 months from the date of your interview. A case involving compliance with an existing order can take 4 to 6 months. However, there is no guaranteed time as it depends on the facts in your case and how much information you can provide.

Does getting food stamps automatically put the father on support?

While most low-income households receive child support services, some do not. … In each case, if the child support agency or the SNAP agency determines that a qualifying parent or caregiver is not eligible, they lose SNAP benefits (not the entire household).

What is the status of the cheapest alimony?

Why child support changes so much

Massachusetts first and Nevada second. According to the study, the northeast region ranks higher, while Mountain Mountains rank the lowest. Several reasons explain why alimony does not always match either the policy or the cost of living.

Who gets child support after the child is 18?

Where there is a back support debt, however, the guardian's parent may be able to collect it even after the child turns 18. Unpaid child support debt doesn't just disappear on a child's 18th birthday. Rather, late payments are in arrears and payments must continue until the balance is paid in full.

What is the average child support payment?

According to the Census Bureau, the average monthly child support payment is $90,003 $430,.

Which states have the toughest child support laws?

of the five most expensive states to live in "Hawaii, California", New York, New Jersey and Maryland - one of these states (Hawaii) is among the top ten highest child support calculations In the study, but two states (New Jersey and Maryland) are among the lowest ten scores.

What is the highest child support payment?

Check out this list of expensive child support totals and find out.

  • Alex Rodriguez - $115,000 per month. …
  • Charlie Sheen - $110,000 per month. …
  • Kirk Kerkorian - $100,000 per month. …
  • Brendan Fraser - $75,000 per month. …
  • Sean Combs - $55,000 per month. …
  • nas - $51,000/month. …
  • Eddie Murphy - $50,000 per month. …
  • Franã§ois-henri Pinault - $46,000/month.

Oltraz children just like debt?

Legally known as arrears, aliat, aliat, aliat, is any past, unpaid child support payment. A mandatory parent who owes child support is considered "in arrears".

Is there a limitation period for child support?

Many do not understand that there is 20-year statute of limitations on child support orders introduced after August 7, 1987 . So a parent with an adult child - one over 21 - can get support for a decade, they've never been paid adequately.

Which state pays the highest child support?

Ranked in the state, Massachusetts is the highest with the most expensive child support payments, averaging $1,187 per month. Virginia claims the least support at $402 per month.

Can I stop my ex-wife from leaving with my child?

Aversion of the custodial parent drives off with your child, usually requires a court of competent jurisdiction in . You will likely need to file a petition stating that this step represents a significant change in circumstances and/or that care is not in the child's best interests.

can the father stop the mother from moving?

One parent has the right to try to stop the other from moving and can apply for a court order from the court to prevent it. Such an order would prevent the child from being moved until the court hears the case.

What is an unfit mother?

The legal definition of an unfit parent is when the parent, as a result of their behavior, does not provide adequate guidance, care or support . In addition, if problems of abuse, neglect, or substance abuse arise, the parent will be considered unfit.

How far can I move from my child's father?

Many joint detention agreements explicitly require mutual consent to move children in a way that violates the terms of the custody order. Some conventions may even specify the distance the parent can move, often is limited to 50 miles by .

Does child support go back after the child turns 18?

Those who are late, paid on children's payments, say "debt". As noted above, this debt does not disappear even after the child turns 18. … even with these differences, however, the rule is that child support payments must continue until the balance of the debt is paid. completely, regardless of the age of the child.

What happens to child support debts when a child turns 18?

If your child turns 18 before graduating from high school, you can apply for more child support through the end of the school year. … The foster parent asked for financial support to continue through the end of the school year.

Is alimony ever forgiven?

this will not forgive the entire debt . This does not change your monthly child support obligations. This will not reduce unpaid support that owes directly to the person receiving support - you can only reduce the amount you owe taxpayers.

Will the child's Polit do a third stimulus test?

While the first payment with the incentive allowed garnishing only for alimony, the second payment had full garnish protection. This third stimulus payment cannot be withdrawn or embellished for alimony, but can be taken over to meet private debts .

The Enchanting City read online by Laura Lippmann (Page 21)

Tess skimmed through the hospital sheets, which summarized her injuries: a broken collarbone, cuts to her body, a concussion, a broken nose. “Lord, that’s probably when the ambulance was called. First degree burns, damaged spleen. And none of the documents bore Linda's name. The doctors just labeled her "Gerald S. Winkowski," like some of his property, didn't even add a "Mrs." So one would think that Winkowski himself was the patient.

- Did they misspell your name so many times considering how many times you had to go there?

— Yes, no one can properly pronounce "Winkowski", let alone to write ... I have been suffering with this for many years now. She glanced at the papers. - No, no, everything is right here. Gerald Winkowski. S. is short for Stanislav. He hated it when the doctors called him "Jerry" instead of Wink, and even added a middle name. He said that it was the worst thing to hear them call his full name in a hospital room.

- Are they giving his full name? Why did the doctors call his name?

- Well, of course, they called him when they were ready to receive him. Haven't you ever been in an emergency room?

“But… but the doctors say the patient’s name…” and finally Tess understood everything!

— But you said you know everything! Linda Winkowski yelled, pushing Tess and pinning her against a panel of drawers. In this exclamation there was both childish resentment, and an attempt to justify herself, and rage because she had been deceived. Tess hit her back hard and now she understood why the Octavia salesgirl had such a frightened face and why she let Linda step on her foot with her heel.

- You said Bertie told you! What Bertie said everything!

Tess was sitting in her car in the supermarket parking lot, eating peanuts, her lunch for the day. She'd dreamed of chocolate-covered nuts all day, ever since Tommy handed her a box of chocolates in Spike's room. Tess believed that if the body wants something, then you need to provide it to it, and not torture yourself with a diet.

She decided to wash her nuts down with Coca-Cola, thinking she could afford it today. But neither sweet nuts nor sweet water could rid Tess of the sour taste left over from her conversation with Linda Winkowski and the story she told when she calmed down a little. And she did it very quickly, because Tess used a trick that Vink never dared to use - she slapped Linda and shook her shoulders a little until she calmed down.

“The first time this happened was a month and a half after the wedding. He went to a bar with his friends and returned only in the morning. He didn't even call or notify me. I almost lost my mind. I was hysterical, I demanded to explain where he was all this time. Why did not you call? I was afraid to leave the house and afraid to sit at home alone. And he just shrugged! With such an expression on my face, as if I were some kind of annoying fly that buzzes over his ear and prevents him from going and resting after the labors of the righteous. Then I grabbed an ashtray - then we were both smoking - and threw it at him. Of course, I did not aim, but she hit him painfully on the cheek, and after that there was a decent bruise.

But Wink didn't do anything, I don't know why. Maybe because I'm a woman, maybe because he could never forget what happened to that man. He never even left, slamming the door, just silently covering himself with his hands from the blows. It just drove me crazy, the fact that he put up with it. I beat him harder and harder, trying to get at least some reaction from him, but I couldn’t: he never once raised his hand to me. Finally, he said that it would be better if we began to live separately, because he thought that one day I might just kill him. He paid me alimony, and I had nothing to complain about, but when he got rich, he wanted to marry again. And I said to him: “Either you will pay me much more now, or I will tell everyone that Wink Winkowski – Mr. Tough Guy – is really just a pathetic coward who allows his wife to beat him up.” Well, as a result, I got what I wanted and moved here. And I like it here."

At that moment, Tess felt the whole unreality of what was happening: Linda, standing in an evening dress and barefoot next to the safe deposit boxes and telling a story that was impossible to believe. This story was the exact opposite of what was written in Beacon Light.

"When did you stop beating your wife, Mr. Winkowski?" “In fact, it was the other way around, it was she who beat me. ” “Of course, Mr. Winkowski.”

Even Linda's illness - an alleged fear of open spaces that led to her disability - turned out to be fictitious: she never worked and never left Cross Key because she was a lazy and eccentric lady with no friends at all.

Under Maryland law, relatives of a deceased person could not file a libel suit on their behalf. Based on what Tess found out, Widow Winkowski could very well be suing the newspaper, but she didn't work for Lea, she worked for Beacon Light, and all the information was theirs, even information that doesn't shed any light on how did that article get on the pages of the newspaper.

Rosita's investigative journalism methods were morally questionable, but there was nothing illegal about them. Although Tess could not have acted the same way: first pay for the information, and then distort it beyond recognition. If Bertie knew what really happened in the Winkowski family, she could make good money from it. Of course, not twenty thousand dollars a month, but certainly more than fifty. But Bertie, who was peeping at night from behind a curtain behind what was happening with her neighbors, saw what she wanted to see, and Rosita, accordingly, found what she wanted to find.

Despite eating sweets, Tess still had a nasty sour taste in her mouth. Strange, she had always thought that the taste of victory should be sweet.

Tess found Jack Sterling on the ground floor at Blythe's buffet. He looked longingly at the chocolate bar in the machine, then sighed and selected a honey candy. Like a true gentleman, he first offered her to Tess, but she refused, saying that she had already dined today.

- I believe that you have refreshed yourself thoroughly. With a great metabolism like you...

“Well, actually, I ate some sweets,” Tess interrupted his attempt to compliment her and quickly changed the topic of conversation: “Remember, you asked me to find out about the life of Lea Winkowski?

— Of course I remember. I have already told you and I will repeat again how much I appreciate the service you rendered. What a relief it was for me to know that the widow did not blame the newspaper for her husband's death! Perhaps I did not express my gratitude to you enough, then ...

- No, no, what are you, I'm not asking for compliments, it's just ... I just didn't stop there. Some of what Leah said got me thinking, and I decided to look into Vinck's divorce case. There was much incomprehensible in this file, and I went to visit the first Mrs. Winkowski - she decided to omit the story about the appearance of an envelope with Rosita's personal file on her windshield. “Then I went to the area where Wink used to live and tried to find out which of the neighbors told Rosita about the assault in the family, because after meeting with Winkowski's first wife, it became obvious that she could not be the source of this information.

Tess noticed that Sterling was very annoyed, although he tried to keep his voice calm.

- I gave you a free schedule so you can deal with your uncle's attack, not so you can continue to stir up the Winkowski case, which Beacon Light is doing its own investigative journalism. By your actions, Miss Monaghan, you can compromise us ... You ... you make it clear to people that the information in that article is not true, or, even worse, you want to prove that the article allegedly got into the newspaper ... by accident ...

Tess crossed her arms and prepared to defend her case:

— Rosita had some trouble in San Antonio. One of her former colleagues suggested that if I followed her path and checked the information she was collecting, I would find the same thing they found in San Antonio. I followed his advice and actually found something. Wink never raised his hand to his wife, it was she who beat him. Rosita paid a neighbor in the Violet area for this false information without even bothering to verify it! Linda just refused to answer questions, and Rosita turned it around as if Winkowski's first wife was afraid to confirm that her husband had beaten her ...

Sterling raised his hand.

Wait, Tess. Let's do this: take a slow deep breath, then exhale. Calm down and tell me everything again, but this time in chronological order, okay?

Tess did just that. Well, or almost so. For again she didn't mention Rosita's file packet because it looked like she was being manipulated. And she still didn't know who it was.

“I understand that you did not give me permission to do this,” she finished her confession, “but the truth always requires proof, and my curiosity sometimes brings positive results. Once you asked me what I thought about this whole story - at the level of intuition - and at that moment I could not confidently answer this question. Now I believe that it was a mixture of good solid journalistic work and dirty unverified gossip in the best traditions of tabloid yellow press. "Creativity" Rosita nullified all the quality work of Feeney.

— Fini is your friend, right, Tess?

- Baltimore is a small town. Only six hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. Here everyone knows each other.

— Do you know Feeney as well as you once knew Jonathan Ross?

— No! “Oh my God, she's also blushing like a first grader. - I mean, we're just friends, sometimes we go to a bar together, but nothing more ...

- Don't you think that taking this job was ... ethically wrong, given your relationship with him?

“Actually, yes.” Something in Sterling's voice made her tell him the truth. Suddenly she realized that he was an excellent reporter in his time, people must have opened his soul to him. She no longer needed to protect Feeney after his behavior yesterday, but if you deviate from the official version, it would look like Tess was covering for him.

- I was told that he had an ironclad alibi, so I agreed. But what does it matter? Doesn't everything I found say that it was Rosita who changed the article, distorted the facts and put it into print without your knowledge? ..

Sterling got up and threw the uneaten candy into the wastebasket.

- Your information confirms absolutely nothing, but I want you to come with me and tell Lionel everything that you just told me.

— Why?

- Then I think Rosita Ruiz's stay at Beacon Light is coming to an end.

Chapter 23

On Friday morning, snow fell on the city, and although the snow melted as soon as it touched the ground, traffic on the roads was almost paralyzed due to the complete lack of visibility. Tess tried to get on the bus, but it was crowded, and with a sigh, she decided to walk to Beacon Light.

When she finally entered the newsroom, twenty minutes late, she breathed a sigh of relief to see that the meeting had not yet begun. Pfeiffer and Lionel Mabry were still on the road, living in the suburbs, and today they had to wade through traffic jams on the highways. Sterling was standing in the corner of the room talking to Rosita, while Colin Reganhart was sitting grimly at the table next to Guy Whitman, whose face lit up at the sight of Tess.

- Well, the weather! And today is Palm Sunday! Something this spring brings us surprises,” he said, trying to start a conversation. - I wonder if Friday is a good day to get fired or a bad one? Personally, every time this happens, I feel extremely embarrassed. What do you think of this, Tess?

Tess, who was fired from The Star on Wednesday, felt that no day of the week was the right time to lose her job. She remembered how unexpectedly it had happened: the owner of the Star had asked all the employees to gather in the newsroom after the evening edition of the paper had gone to press. The board of directors did not even allow the journalists to make the last issue, they wanted to say goodbye to the readers and announce the "death" of the newspaper. As a result, the last work in Tess's journalistic career was her article about a pipeline break, which flooded several houses in the city center.

Whitman himself answered his own question:

- Actually, several approaches have been developed for the procedure for dismissing employees. If you suspect that an employee is… uhm… too emotional, then Friday is not the best day to quit, because on the weekend in a fit of desperation, he can hurt himself. Many people think that from a financial point of view, it is better to fire a person on Monday, then he will not have to pay for the days worked during the week . ..

- Guy, be kind, shut up! Colin interrupted sharply. Rising from her chair, she paced the room, lighting a cigarette as she went.

"You know you can't smoke here," Whitman said.

— I currently hold the highest position among those present, so I can do whatever I please.

- But this is only at the moment.

“It all started here,” Tess suddenly thought. “And it will all end here today.” Sterling promised that Blythe would pay for the remaining days of the two-week contract if Tess agreed to attend today's meeting and, if required, submit his notes on the methods by which Rosita obtained information for the scandalous article. Although no one could prove that the "unscheduled" publication was the work of Rosita, Pfeiffer and Mabry were still sure of her guilt.

Pfeiffer's secretary looked in the door and said that the gentlemen were already in the building.

Colleen took a few quick puffs and threw the cigarette out the window. As soon as she closed the window, Pfeiffer and Mabry entered the meeting room, the dreamy-absent expression on the face of the latter that had already become familiar to Tess. This time he also whistled some tune. Tess listened: it was the song "There's a Rose in Spanish Harlem." In her opinion, the choice of melody in this situation was rather ambiguous. Mabry seemed to understand this too, and fell silent as Rosita and Sterling approached the table.

“Please have a seat, Ms. Ruiz.” Sterling's voice was soft and polite, but Tess suspected that he might be more annoyed than anyone else in the audience right now. Rosita took her seat at the far end of the table, opposite Pfeiffer. The deep seat almost swallowed her up, and Tess felt something like pity, but it vanished without a trace as soon as she looked at the girl's haughty face, her look was clearly defiant. She waived her right to speak in the presence of a union representative because she was so sure that she did not need protection. Rosita figured she could write an article without Feeney's help, and that she could keep her job without union support.

Sterling spoke as he looked at a blank sheet of paper in front of him:

— I have given you the evidence collected by Miss Monaghan about the working methods of our employee, Miss Ruiz, in advance. We also received a written statement from Mrs. Bertie Atholl, in which she confirms that she received $50 from the journalist for information related to the first Winkowski article. This information turned out to be false, distorted and clearly exaggerated. And we have the opportunity to present copies of the documents that Tess saw, from which it follows that it was Gerald Winkowski who was abused by his first wife, and not vice versa. He was a victim, not a perpetrator. We believe that this information is more than sufficient for your immediate dismissal, Ms. Ruiz. However, we are ready to pay you a severance pay for six months - although, as you know, officially you could only count on two months - and help you find a new job. We think… I think,” he amended, “that our newspaper is somewhat disappointed in you. Maybe in a smaller publication, where the requirements for the quality of information and the terms of writing articles are not so high, you could fill in some gaps in your knowledge of the basics and ethics of journalism.

Rosita did not react in any way to the offer of assistance in finding a job, nor to the offer of a six-month severance pay.

“These documents, if genuine, of course, testify to the injuries received by Vinck, and it is not yet known under what circumstances, but you cannot prove that he did not beat his wife,” Rosita said this in a cold tone. “As far as I know, there are other sick leave sheets, they just decided not to show them to Tess. I still stick to my version.

- Stop talking nonsense, Rosita! Colin took a cigarette out of the pack and started to roll it between her fingers. Tess couldn't understand why the general manager was so upset. Was it because Rosita was her protégé? Or because Rosita Ruiz was a woman, and her failure confirmed the opinion of men that ladies should not be in journalism?

“This is not a debating club where you can earn or lose points for a well-run argument,” Colin continued. - You mixed such a thing in this story! Were you afraid we wouldn't put your name on Feeney's co-author if you didn't find any information? Or did you want the article to make as much noise as possible and so that with it you could go to work in a newspaper bigger than ours?

“I just accidentally made a mistake,” Rosita persisted.

Tess was amazed at the girl's self-confidence. However, if she was a pathological liar - since Tess has not yet been able to hear a word of truth from her - then most likely she has been lying all her life and to everyone.

- Yes, I gave Bertie Atholl fifty dollars, she has a tiny pension, and this money was very useful to her. But I did this only when she told everything she knew ... I just paid her for the time that I took from her, and not at all for her to distort some facts. Is this any different from the fact that you, for example, invite your source of information to a cafe at your expense? We do this all the time, and no one has yet thought to protest. What I didn't really do was ask Mrs. Atholl to pretend she knew more than she actually did. She told me that Winkowski beat his wife and that Linda was taken away in an ambulance several times. Well, okay, I made a mistake, is it really that serious? And what is happening now is pure “lynching”! You are using my little blunders to get rid of me, when I have already almost written a new article, in comparison with which the previous two will seem simply pale.

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