Child Support Liens for Personal Injury Settlements

In Pennsylvania, overdue child support liens must be reimbursed from a personal injury settlement or recovery. The lawyer handling your personal injury case must cooperate with the domestic relations department. The law can be found at 23 Pa.C.S. Section 4308.1. It applies to any case where the net proceeds for the person is $5,000 or more. The law defines net proceeds as "moneys in excess of $5,000 payable to a prevailing party or beneficiary". This means that the first $5,000 remaining after attorneys fees is not lienable. Any amount payable to the person above $5,000 is "attached". Meaning, overdue child support reported by the County Domestic Relations office is automatically a lien against net settlement proceeds above $5,000. If you have questions about a personal injury case or car accident, contact the lawyers at Wolpert Schreiber P.C. for a free consultation and case evaluation. (610) 792-3304.