Who you're suing · all 51 jurisdictions
Most of it goes back to the judge who signed your decree, not to a new lawsuit. Some of it is an ordinary civil claim.
the short answer
Sometimes — but most disputes with an ex are not a new lawsuit. Anything your divorce decree already covers, like support, custody or who got what, goes back to the same family court as a motion to enforce, not a fresh case. What can be an ordinary civil claim is the part that has nothing to do with the decree: property they will not return, money you lent them, or something they said about you that cost you. Which of the two it is decides your deadline, your court and your filing fee.
If your name is on the mortgage, the card or the car loan, the lender was not a party to your divorce and is not bound by it. A decree assigning that debt to your ex is a promise you can enforce against your ex — it is not a defence against the bank, and the missed payments still land on your credit. Refinancing or closing the account is what actually takes you off it. The decree only gives you someone to chase afterwards.
which one is yours?
If the decree already divided it, that is an enforcement motion in the same family court. If it never went through the divorce at all — something you owned before, or bought after — that is a plain civil claim over property, and small claims court is usually the right size for it.
not one we cover — here's what to doA loan is a contract, and it survives the relationship. The hard part is almost never the law, it is proof: a transfer with a note on it, a text agreeing to repay, anything showing it was a loan and not a gift. Without that, a court is being asked to pick between two stories.
not one we cover — here's what to doDeal with the account first and your ex second — see above. The lender will keep reporting you regardless of what the decree says, so refinancing, closing or removing yourself is the urgent step. Enforcing the decree against your ex recovers what it cost you, but it does not stop the bleeding.
not one we cover — here's what to doThat is defamation, and the bar is higher than it feels. It has to be a statement of fact rather than an opinion, it has to be false, it has to reach someone else, and in most states you have to show it actually cost you something. Deadlines for it are among the shortest in civil law, so it is worth asking early rather than after it stops.
not one we cover — here's what to doNot a lawsuit — this goes back to the court that ordered it, as a motion to enforce. Every state also runs a child support enforcement agency that will pursue it for you, usually free, and it has collection tools no private suit has. That agency is the cheaper first call, and this site does not cover family court.
not one we cover — here's what to doAlso family court, not a civil suit, and money is not what it produces — enforcement is. Keep a dated record of every missed or refused exchange as it happens; that record is what the motion is built out of, and it is very hard to reconstruct later.
not one we cover — here's what to doThis one is real and it is time-sensitive. Concealing assets from the court is treated seriously, and most states let a decree be reopened for it — but on a deadline that can run from when you found out, and sometimes a short one. This is worth a lawyer quickly rather than a web page.
not one we cover — here's what to doThat is a legal malpractice claim, and it is a civil suit — against the lawyer, not your ex. It needs more than a bad outcome: you have to show the lawyer fell below professional standard and that it changed the result. The deadline is usually short, and it can start running from the mistake rather than from when you noticed it.
not one we cover — here's what to dosponsors