Can any one advise - CSA demands £58,000 out of the blue!!!

[Bollock Chops]

I've just received a demand for £58,000 from the CSA for my 2 daughters who I've not seen for 17 years. My last actual contact with them was when my ex-wife told me that she did not want me to see them again and that she wanted no more money from me as "They have everything they need". I never challenged my right to see my daughtewrs and, as told to do so by her, never paid her any further maintenance and I never ever received any further demand from her or the CSA.

My mother was also forced to stop seeing her grandchildren due to my ex's anti attitude to her.

Last year, I succeeded to make contact with my children via the internet and things have been progressing positively with the elder daughter, now 26 years old and hopefully soon with the younger, aged 24 years.

However, I've just received a letter from the CSA demanding £58,000 in arrears, due from 1993 to 2003. I suspect this is due to my ex forwarding details of where I live and work gained due to my contact with my daughters. They do not know of my ex's suspected actions and I expect they will be hurt by my new very serious dilemma.

I'm self employed, live in rented accommodation and thankfully have no assets.

Can anyone on here advise me if the CSA have a case against me relative to their lack of trying to source my address details etc as they only sent a demand to an address I was living at in 1999 and never bothered to search further?

Any recommendations to any solicitors specialising in CSA cases would also be gratefully received.

Edited by Aardvark27 on Monday 28th December 20:48

[Aardvark27]

Many thanks for the links and replies.

Getting legal advice asap.

Cheers,

Aardvark27 aka Bchops

[Aardvark27]

Soovy said:

See a Family Law solicitor NOW. Do it NOW.
Your ex has obviously informed the CSA as revenge for your having contact with the kids.
I suspect they can make this stick. What a bh.

What do people think?............

If the CSA do have me banged to rights and there's no hope of an appeal would it best for me not to spend a fortune on CSA specialist solicitors and then only to lose the case anyway or to just defend myself.
I do have a solicitor friend who could give me guidance through the legal procedures.

[Aardvark27]

musclecarmad said:

i thought they can only claim from the minute they make contact for money and then onwards and not before.

They can enforce a back-dated claim from the date it was made to the CSA by Mrs Ex. But the fact that she only contacted the CSA a full 2 years after the last contact and agreed maintenance payment was made is in my favour as is the fact that she stated that she wanted no more contact or money from me, period. I have a bona fide witness to her stating this who will swear this on oath in any Court of Law.

I am awaiting my Data Statement from the CSA and as advised by a respected CSA victim support website I am awaiting the results of this statement before consulting legal advice. No real info = no real advice.

Thanks to all for the replies, topic to be continued...................

[Aardvark27]

NewNameNeeded said:

amare32 said:

£58k is scandalous. Saying that the up keep of 2 children over a span of 17 years is not going to be cheap.

Breaking down the numbers though and whilst £58k sounds like a big pill to swallow in one hit it's based on ten years when I'm presumming the OP provided no money for two children.

My ex told me in 1991 to clear-off and never contact my daughters again "As they have everything they need, they do not need you and we do not need any money from you, clear-off and get out of our lives......" .............so I did and as instructed I never paid her any more money, but always my hope was that in their later teen years they would look me up or respond to my contact searches.