I need help with a Child support question?

Okay I am taking my ex (my son's dad) to court for child support since he refuses to pay on his own. (I'm in Massachusetts) All I was asking for was $50 weekly to help. Now he says he looked into it and he is going to claim he is a recovering drug addict trying to put hi life together adn will only have to pay 18.75 per week to me! My son is 14 btw. That is crazy. I looked it up and it's true. If a man claims his income is $100 and under its $18.75 + 10% because my son is over 13. He makes awesome money (under the table of course). I am going thru a state appt'd atty since I can't afford one on my own and they don't investigate. What should I do! Also does anyone know how much it is to hire an atty on my own? Thanks!!
Answers:
For a hired atty it will cost between 500 and up just for the retainer fee. You need to take all the proof you have of his working and show it to the judge. you can get statements from people he has worked for or anything you can get. Yes, although that law seems screwy it is true. talk to some atty's and they may let you make payments to them.

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Tell the states attorney what your husband said, try to get hubby to say it in an e-mail by writing him that you thought about what he said about claiming he is a recovering drug addict and you think it was a cheap way of him not accepting responsibility for his own child.

Try to get him to admit that's what he is going to do. If he does, the state's attorney can explain to him that not only will his attempt fail, because the attorney will motion for proof of his drug addiction and any proof of his acceptance into a drug rehab program, but also if he can't come up with the proof, most likely file fraud charges against him.

The attorney (and the court) can require he submit three years of tax returns for proof of income, can subpoena his records from the IRS and his employer and have a number of other tricks they can use to put the fear of Jesus into him.

But your job is to inform your attorney of his ploy so that the attorney can be ready for it.