Need to pay child support in Douglas County? Here’s how to do it amid the pandemic

photo by: Mackenzie Clark

A sign on the front doors of the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St., warns visitors about limits on public presence in courtrooms and the hallways of the courthouse amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, March 13, 2020.

Updated at 10:35 a.m. Thursday:

Chief Judge James McCabria sent out an email Wednesday to address some frequently asked questions that the Douglas County District Court has received after the Kansas Supreme Court’s order restricting court operations to emergencies only.

Prompted by the global pandemic coronavirus disease, COVID-19, the state Supreme Court issued an order March 18 that halted most court proceedings, including all criminal and civil jury trials. In the time since, McCabria wrote in an email sent to all attorneys who have active cases in Douglas County, he and the other division judges have received various questions about how the order applies to the local court.

McCabria wrote that he has “hesitated to offer too much comment because information has been changing so rapidly,” but without knowing what tomorrow will bring, he hoped to provide some helpful direction.

Here’s the information most pertinent to the general public:

• Parenting plans and child support orders: Nothing in any of the administrative orders of the courts, local or state, affects existing orders pertaining to child support and parenting time, according to the email. Those remain in full force.

• Clerk’s office: The court clerk’s office is not open to the public, except that on Tuesdays and Thursdays those who want to make an in-person cash payment on court-ordered child support will be allowed access to the office, according to the email.

Otherwise, anyone can make payments on any judgment by calling 785-832-5231. More information about payment options is available via the county’s website; visit douglascountyks.org/depts/clerk-district-court/court-payments.

• Protection from abuse or stalking petitions: Those wishing to file a petition for protection from abuse or stalking, normally done in the court clerk’s office, can find the forms at the entrance to the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, 111 E. 11th St. Court security officers will take completed petitions to the clerk for processing.

The forms are also available online via the Kansas Judicial Council’s website at kansasjudicialcouncil.org/legal-forms, but they must still be filed with the clerk’s office.

Otherwise, the clerk’s office is not accepting in-person filing at this time, according to the email.

• Paying child support and spousal support: The court trustee will be open to the public to accept cash payments on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only. However, “Multiple online options exist for payment and the public is encouraged to explore those,” according to the email. Those options are available via the county’s website; visit douglascountyks.org/depts/court-trustee and click “Child and Spousal Support” for more information.

— Editor’s note: This article has been updated with corrected information from the courts.

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