Without a court order changing the amount that a person owes in child support, the original order is mandatory. The payments must be made. This is true for nearly every child support case in Washington. When a non-custodial parent fails to pay the court ordered amount they may find that they face penalties that include fines and even jail time.
In a case that may be of interest to readers in Washington, former basketball superstar Dennis Rodman is facing a child support court hearing. His former wife, Michelle, asserts to the court that the former star owes more than $800,000 in child support payments to her. In addition, she says that he owes some $51,441 in unpaid spousal support.
The court in this case will be expected to hear arguments from both sides of this divorce matter. Early reports note that Dennis Rodman says that he is broke. Previously, he earned millions of dollars not only as a basketball player but also through endorsements, television appearances and movie roles.
The child support case for Dennis Rodman will likely turn on the former star's ability to make the owed child support. Factors may include the reasons that he failed to pay and his future income earning potential. Any change to his required child support will likely not affect the amount that he owes for payments that he failed to make over the past few years. Like many people in Washington, he may find that he faces penalties for his past actions.