Denver County Seeks $2,000 From Teenager Over Food Stamps He Didn't Get

The son of a food stamp recipient has gotten the attention of Denver County officials over thousands of dollars in overpayments, CBS4 reports.

Reporters say Denver Human Services is demanding Quinn Harrier repay $2,000 in food stamps he didn't get. Harrier says he was an 18-year-old high school student when his mother became unemployed and applied for public assistance during the pandemic.

"I didn’t even know this was happening. I knew she was unemployed but I didn’t know about the food stamps," Harrier explained. "Now all of sudden I’m in debt. I don’t know what to do, $2,000 is a lot, a lot of money. If I don’t pay it back, they’ll take it out of my taxes. I don’t make a lot of money."

Human Services claim the son's responsible for repayment, pointing to a state law that says, "All adult household members age 18 years or older at the time the over-issuance occurred, shall be jointly and severally liable," according to documents obtained by CBS4.

Harrier tried to get the situation resolved in court, but the state sided with the county, saying they "cannot consider the underlying overpayment claim on its merits," only whether it is "legally enforceable," according to reporters. His mother reportedly asked state officials to take up the repayment with her, not her son, but officials have sent the case to the U.S. Treasury Department for collections.

CBS4 reached out to both Denver Human Services and the State Department of Human Services for comment, but they say they can't comment on individual cases.