Baseball star ordered to pay more child support
Many couples in Maryland who have a child together have unequal incomes. While this is not often a problem while the couples are raising their children together, it can become a contentious issue when the parents separate or divorce. Both parents are expected to contribute to the expenses of raising a child and if one parent was contributing more than the other when the two parents lived together, it seems logical that that parent would make considerable child support payments for the child if he or she is not the primary custodial parent. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, however.
Robinson Cano, a new player on the Seattle Mariners baseball team, recently signed a $240 million contract. As a result, a family court judge increased his child support obligation from $600 per month to $1,200. Despite this child support order, however, the mother of his son claims that he frequently fails to pay on time. She has very little income and relies on the support from Cano to provide for the financial needs of their son.
When a child goes from living with two parents, one of whom earns significant income, to living with only the lesser-earning parent, the child’s standard of living can dramatically decrease. In some cases, the custodial parent may not even be able to cover the child’s everyday expenses, including the costs associated with education and medical care. Delinquent payments make the situation even more difficult. Although many parents who pay child support argue that they should not be required to make exorbitant child support payments just because of their high incomes, the reality is that if the child benefited from that income before the parents’ separation, the child should continue to benefit from that income after.
In Maryland, child support amounts are determined with the help of a specific child support formula and calculator. While this can help simplify the process by specifically enumerating what factors are taken into consideration, parents still disagree over the specific numbers used in the calculations. This often occurs when parents have irregular forms or sources of income. Working with an attorney can help parents resolve these issues and reach an agreement that is both fair to the child and fair to the parents. An attorney’s assistance can prove invaluable in complicated cases involving non-working parents, self-employed parents, and parents struggling with various financial burdens.
Source: FoxNews, “Robinson Cano, baseball’s new $240M man, brushed back over child support,” Dec. 13, 2013