Hello,
Newbie to this forum so please forgive my ignorance on this issue. I recently retired from the military and moved back home to help my aging mother. I will try keep this short and to the point.
My mother is currently 71, married and lives in NC.
I recently looked at divorce paperwork from an earlier marriage she was involved in where the separation agreement was filed in a CO district court in 1991.
Her ex spouse is a cardiologist in CO, still practicing and part owner in the very large practice.
In the separation agreement I discovered a QDRO was to be used to ensure my mother received $25,000 from the practice's pension plan.
My mother did trust this man and they split on good terms, but she simply relied on him to make sure he complied with the terms of the agreement. When I recently asked, she was unaware she was entitled to the $25k and confirmed she never received it. She also did not have a lawyer. The doctor had the paperwork prepared by his and she just showed up and signed. I know it was not the smartest thing for her to do but I was too young to know better at the time and she really had no idea either.
Again the doctor's practice is alive and well today, but they have added a word to name of the practice. The pension plan also exists under a slightly different name from what comes back in a google search and has substantial assets.
Needless to say, this guy is easily a millionaire several times over by now and my mom deserves what she's entitled to.
How should I go about collecting on this QDRO?
My thoughts on how to proceed:
1 - send the doctor a letter (with a copy of the separation agreement) and ask him if he just wants to write a check and be done with it
or
2 - use a lawyer to collect (less desirable)
I appreciate your time and any and all ideas you may have to help. Thank you.
