Can a 22 year old sue for back child support from a father who was supposed to pay until the age of 18 but only paid one year?

Answer 1

I believe only the mother named in the court papers can sue. The agreement was made between the father and the mother, not the father and child. And even then, it might have to be the court that goes after the father, not the individual. Contact your local courthouse and ask to speak to the clerk of the court and they can provide you with all the information you need.

Answer 2

No, by the age of 22 you are an adult and no need for child support. This was supposed to be done by your mother when you were still a minor.

Another opinion...

You're asking a surprisingly complex question that's going to be tough to answer without a lot more information. Lacking that, I'll mention a few things that might apply:

Courts award child support based on what's believed by the court is required to support the child in question in the life they're already part of. This would typically include sustenance, appropriate schooling, medical and insurance, etc. Often, it's based on the financial state of the previously married couple, but moreso upon the child's needs. Note -- "needs".

The assumption is that child support addresses needs. This implies that the failure to provide child support awarded by the court causes either the needs of the child to be fulfilled by another source (thus potentially incurring debt -- maybe to you, maybe to someone else, &c.), or no fulfillment at all (thus potentially incurring damages). How much, if at all, either of these applies, depends on the situation.

In addition to not paying court ordered child support being handled in civil court, the DA may interpret this as a criminal act. And in this case, the criminal statute of limitations is -- once more -- complex.

If the amount of money or damage is significant, and the amount of money the defendant may be able to yield in damages is sufficient, this may be something you wish to take up with an attorney.