Delaware
For Delaware, statute is § 503; who owes the duty is the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order; condition on the parent is a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self; ability-to-pay qualifier is If the relation prior in order shall not be able, the next in order shall be liable, and several relations of the same order shall, if able, contribute according to their means; civil or criminal is civil, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.
- State
- Delaware our reading
- Statute
- § 503 verified
- Who owes the duty
- the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order verified
- Condition on the parent
- a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self verified
- Ability-to-pay qualifier
- If the relation prior in order shall not be able, the next in order shall be liable, and several relations of the same order shall, if able, contribute according to their means. verified
- Civil or criminal
- civil our reading
- Who may bring the action
- The Family Court of the State shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over all actions arising under this chapter. verified
- Defences in the statute
- No person shall be required to support another while there is just cause for failing or refusing to do so. verified
- Limited to public assistance cases
- not stated our reading
Values marked our reading are our classification of what the source says — the source does not print them in those words. The quote below is the evidence for each one; judge it yourself.
What the source says
§ 503. Duty to support a poor person. Except as expressly provided in §§ 501 and 502 of this title, the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order, subject to § 504 of this title as to expenses described therein. If the relation prior in order shall not be able, the next in order shall be liable, and several relations of the same order shall, if able, contribute according to their means.
— delcode.delaware.gov, retrieved 2026-08-31
Where each value comes from
This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.
Who owes the duty
§ 503. Duty to support a poor person. Except as expressly provided in §§ 501 and 502 of this title, the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order, subject to § 504 of this title as to expenses described therein.
Condition on the parent
§ 503. Duty to support a poor person. Except as expressly provided in §§ 501 and 502 of this title, the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order
Ability-to-pay qualifier
the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order, subject to § 504 of this title as to expenses described therein. If the relation prior in order shall not be able, the next in order shall be liable, and several relations of the same order shall, if able, contribute according to their means.
Civil or criminal and Who may bring the action
§ 507. Jurisdiction in Family Court; termination of Chancery Court jurisdiction. (a) The Family Court of the State shall have exclusive original jurisdiction over all actions arising under this chapter.
Defences in the statute
§ 506. Failure to support for just cause. No person shall be required to support another while there is just cause for failing or refusing to do so.
Limited to public assistance cases
§ 503. Duty to support a poor person. Except as expressly provided in §§ 501 and 502 of this title, the duty to support a poor person unable to support the poor person’s own self rests upon the spouse, parents, or children, in that order, subject to § 504 of this title as to expenses described therein. If the relation prior in order shall not be able, the next in order shall be liable, and several relations of the same order shall, if able, contribute according to their means.
— all from delcode.delaware.gov, retrieved 2026-08-31
Source
- delcode.delaware.govhttps://delcode.delaware.gov/title13/c005/sc01/index.html