Tag Archives: child support

When Kobe and Vanessa Bryant finalize their divorce, some celebrity watchers expect the basketball star’s ex to walk away with $75 million in cash and three mansions to her name. But if she’d filed for divorce a few months earlier, her potential pay-out could have been considerably less, thanks to California divorce laws that treat marriages lasting 10 years or longer differently than shorter-lived matrimonial alliances. The exact details of any alimony Vanessa Bryant receives will also depend, in part, …

There are a number of ways to punish parents who fail to pay child support: Garnish their wages, revoke their drivers’ licenses and even throw them in jail. But a Kentucky county prosecutor is trying a different tactic: Public shaming. Bell County, Ky., Attorney Neil Ward has started to give deadbeat parents a choice: Go to jail or stand in a public place holding a large sign that says, “I do not pay child support.” Regardless of which option they …

With the nation facing dismally low rates of payment on child support orders, states have tried everything to get deadbeat parents to pay up, including throwing them in jail. Now, officials in some states are considering a new idea — instead of prison, why not help parents get jobs? Ohio program to divert parents away from prison, teach life skills Tough economy sinking child support payment rates Federal program has similar goals of building parenting skills   Early Intervention A …

Since the FBI launched its 10 Most Wanted list in 1950, 494 fugitives have had the dubious distinction of being featured—and 94 percent of those have been apprehended. Perhaps with those impressive statistics in mind, the federal government launched a new most-wanted list last month that features some of the country’s worst deadbeat parents. Among those in the spotlight: Robert Sand: Listed as the “most wanted deadbeat,” Sand owes more than $1 million in child support for three children from …

This article is part of an ongoing Lawyers.com series looking at the child support crisis in America. Other articles in this series include: Putting a Face on Unpaid Child Support: Kendra’s Story Deadbeat Parents Don’t Pay Because There’s No Enforcement Putting a Face on Unpaid Child Support: Gabrielle’s Story   With only 41.2 percent of custodial parents receiving the full child support they’re owed, and budget strapped states limited in what they can do to collect the rest, can the …