ITV #252: He Was Put on Child Support at 12– Now He's Taking The System to Congress | Inside The Vault

He was put on child support at just 12 years old.

By the time Lionel “TJ” Tillman learned what had happened, he says he was already $24,000 in debt—despite the court determining that he had not reached puberty when the child was conceived.

After fighting the case for more than two decades, proving that the process involved extrinsic fraud, and eventually recovering his money, TJ is no longer focused solely on his personal battle.

Now, he is taking the system to Congress.

In this powerful episode of Inside the Vault with Ash Cash, TJ introduces the proposed Bringing Families Back Together and Child Support Equity Act of 2027—a bill created to promote equal parenting, due process, financial fairness, transparency, and healthier relationships between children and both fit and present parents.

Ash and TJ examine some of the most controversial questions surrounding family court and child support:

Can someone be held financially responsible without being the biological father?

Why are some parents learning about child-support orders only after their wages are garnished?

Are government incentives helping families—or rewarding separation?

And why should a parent who is actively fighting to be present automatically be treated like an absent parent?

TJ also makes one thing clear: this is not a “get out of responsibility” movement. He believes parents who refuse to support their children should be held accountable.

His fight is for fairness, equal parenting, proper notice, due process, and a system that puts the well-being of children ahead of conflict between adults.

This is not about mothers versus fathers.

It is about choosing the children.

Watch until the end to learn how you can support the petition, help bring the proposed legislation before Congress, and become part of a national movement to strengthen families.

Sign the petition:

change.org/childrenneedboth

Chapters

00:00 – He was put on child support at 12 years old

01:08 – Message for entrepreneurs, coaches and business owners

02:05 – Protecting the family is a generational investment

03:04 – The Bringing Families Back Together and Child Support Equity Act

03:55 – “Take care of your children—this is not a free pass”

05:21 – Who is Lionel “TJ” Tillman?

05:38 – Put on child support at 12 and $24,000 in debt

06:32 – Could he have biologically fathered the child?

07:15 – Declared the legal father despite the court’s findings

08:53 – Why outdated policies need to change

09:34 – Why TJ is taking the system to Congress

10:12 – Education, policy and prevention

11:18 – Does due process apply in family court?

11:51 – Equal parenting should begin at birth

12:53 – Georgia’s legitimation process explained

14:11 – The $755 million child-support incentive claim

15:11 – Why TJ is pursuing federal reform

15:45 – Incentivizing families to stay together

17:25 – No parent should have to fight for their children

17:46 – Fathers ask for joint legal and physical custody

18:34 – How public assistance affected the family structure

19:35 – Who determines whether a parent is fit?

21:18 – Why must parents fight for more time with their children?

22:00 – “You want support, but you don’t want support”

22:29 – TJ announces The Family Code podcast

22:39 – The hidden trauma families refuse to discuss

24:02 – Why TJ challenges the child-support system

24:17 – The Fourteenth Amendment and parental rights

26:47 – How claims can be presumed valid until challenged

27:43 – Proper notice before enforcement actions

28:17 – Discovering child support through wage garnishment

30:00 – Finding out on payday that half his check was gone

32:10 – Personal service versus substitute service

33:13 – Vindication after a 22-year fight

34:00 – The forged signature and vacant-house service

35:00 – Paying child support for 11 years

37:26 – Filing an insurance claim against Los Angeles County

38:30 – How TJ finally recovered his money

39:20 – Helping parents challenge their cases

40:15 – Why he refuses to assist irresponsible parents

41:41 – Raising his daughter as a single father

43:00 – Why children may need both parents

44:40 – The child-support-to-prison pipeline

46:47 – Are urban communities being disproportionately targeted?

48:14 – Is TJ trying to weaken child-support laws?

48:34 – Child support should apply to absent parents

49:22 – Equal parental rights and the “noncustodial” label

50:00 – Handling difficult co-parenting and parental alienation

51:10 – Support beyond money: emotional and physical presence

52:00 – Parenting education, therapy and conflict resolution

54:00 – What America could look like if the bill passes

56:47 – How viewers can support the proposed legislation

57:17 – TJ’s direct appeal to Congress

58:25 – This is not men versus women

58:36 – Putting children ahead of pride and conflict

59:41 – “This is not an attack on women, men or child support”

1:00:04 – How to connect with TJ and the foundation

1:00:32 – Closing the Vault

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