Is She In Contempt ? Can I Claim Child Abandonment Since It’s Been Well Over 4 Years That I Have Had Contact With Him.

Q: My son is 19 years old. He has refused to see me and i have not seen or spoken to him in 4 years. I sent child support every month and have never missed a payment. Just last week I went to drop off child support check for October and his new Birth certificate to my ex just to find out they had moved by a neighbor. I did not know this. They both ignore my texts and phone calls ( All the time unless they need something from me). I usually mail the checks to her however, as of May I started sending it to her via Chase QP . I decided to drop off the payment this time since the Birth certificate is a legal document and I didn’t want to send it via regular mail. I’m glad I did as I was told they moved out almost 4 months ago. I have called and text her to find out the new address and it’s been over a week and I still have not heard from her or him. We have joint custody. At this point I am frustrated and feel disrespected. He works a full time job and parental alienation has always been an issue. I would like to petition for child abandonment to stop child support.
I am holding onto the money but I also don’t want to be in contempt so I’m in a tough spot.

A: The court loses jurisdiction to enforce custody orders after the child turns 18. Your only remedy would be to file a child support termination petition alleging the child is emancipated. Schedule a consult with a Bronx Child Custody attorney for a full assessment.