Local attorney Mark Davis is taking a cynical approach to what he says is a growing problem in the state of Texas.
Davis created an advertisement that is targeted toward women. It asks them how they would like to make thousands of dollars by staying at home, and instructs them how to do so by following simple steps.
1) Get pregnant and have a baby.
2) Once the baby is born, get rid of the father.
3) Get child support money by using a state-appointed, free attorney to sue the father.
4) Spend the money on trips without the child.
5) Spend the money on drinking, expensive restaurants, and clubs.
"Guess what? That's all legal in Texas," Davis said.
The ad then targets men, telling them that if the mentioned scenario sounds familiar, call him and lawyer up because the world isn't fair, and they need to even the odds.
"Generally, the idea of child support is a good thing, people need to take care of their kids, but it's so abused in the state of Texas," Davis said. "I don't mean to offend people by putting this poster out, but I do mean to wake people up to pay attention to what's going on.
"What this poster brings up is a serious problem, there's no accountability. What happens is, when someone has to pay child support, they pay it to the Attorney General, then the Attorney General issues a card, it looks like a credit card, and with that credit card, that parent can access the money. Where can they use that credit card? At any bar they want to in El Paso, they're accepted at bars all over and you can charge drinks on it all night, they can buy drinks for their new boyfriend, or maybe even a pair of new sunglasses."
KFOX14 showed the ad to local women, and asked them for a response.
"I've seen that happen, it's not good for the kids or the father," Joanna Salinas said. "I think they should be more aware of people doing that, and go ahead and look at the families, go to the house, and see if they're actually spending that money on the kids."
"I think it's disgraceful to women, it's not cool that people are doing that, taking advantage of everything the government gives us," Itza Carreon said. "This is pretty creative, it gets your attention."
KFOX14 reached out to Texas state Rep. Mary Gonzalez for a comment about the current child support laws.
"The Attorney General has been doing this new debit card system since 2007, and there really is no actual legal process for monitoring the way the parents spend the money," Gonzalez said. "The reason that this was implemented was because the Texas government wanted to make sure children were getting the money as quickly as possible, because previously it was taking a lot of time for the family to get the money they needed. As far as people using it in ways that people think is improper, I think that's a family conversation, the father has a conversation with the mother."
Davis knows his advertisement will offend some people, but he feels the law needs to change sooner rather than later.
"There's other problems in the law that are serious concerns," Davis said. "If a woman has a baby, and gets rid of the father, the father has no choice but to pay child support, unless he can win custody, and that is hard, Texas courts are prejudiced against fathers, and I stand by that 100 percent."
Davis told KFOX14 many of his clients are going through child support battles in the courtroom.
"I have a client who has to pay $1,400 per month for an infant at 6 months old. It's impossible to spend $1,400 per month on an infant, it's just ridiculous," Davis said. "I think we have to have a law that holds mothers accountable. They have to be able to say I spent this money on a child and nobody else, and nothing else."
Gonzalez told KFOX14 lawmakers may take a look at the current law.
"It hasn't been looked at in the Legislature, it's something I think we're going to look at probably next session, but I think it's a really dicey conversation," Gonzalez said.
"If you have many children with one father you're hurting yourself, every child has to be from a different father, that way you get the most child support possible," Davis said. "Our laws are destroying the American family."
Davis told KFOX14 his ad isn't supposed to be a shot at single mothers, it's supposed to bring awareness to a system he says many women are taking advantage of.
"Child support is designed to meet the minimum basic needs of children, it's not supposed to be a transfer of wealth for drinking, partying, and going out to restaurants," Davis said. "I don't think I have to say every single mother is doing a good job, some are doing a horrible job."
El Paso attorney uses controversial ad to warn men about child support
level right not
. frankly, its fukkin disgusting
