We have written recently about fathers who owed large amounts of child support despite having large amounts of money being found out because of their activities on social media websites. There are other ways that family law attorneys might be able to determine that a delinquent parent has assets that might go toward child support — including, unlikely enough, if that parent wins the lottery.
As it turns out, this is exactly what happened to the man who recently won a $221 million Powerball jackpot. After such a large windfall, interviews of the man — whose cut after taxes was just over $150 million — were all over television and newspapers. The next day, authorities knocked on the man’s door to ask him about it. Nobody answered.
According to the county sheriff, the state’s lottery division should withhold the amount that is due before the man is paid his jackpot winnings. Because the man owes just under $30,000 in child support dating back to 2009, he is subject to arrest, as is anyone else in a similar situation.
However, it would seem unlikely that the man would be arrested now that his wealth is imminent and he would be unlikely to be able to collect his winnings before satisfying his child support responsibilities.
While this is an extreme case of a parent’s income changing suddenly, any Dallas parent who feels that the amount of child support being paid by another parent is no longer adequate or appropriate can work with a child support attorney who can help explain available options.
Source: KSTP-TV, “NJ’s Powerball Winner Owes $29K in Child Support,” Cassie Hart, March 28, 2013