As with so many things in life, including family law matters such as child support and alimony, there are two sides to the story. It’s noteworthy how the drama surrounding two former professional basketball players serves to point this out.
Over the past couple weeks, for example, many media outlets have been relishing the divorce tale of Allen Iverson, former NBA star, with some stating that he has reportedly lost close to $200 million earned during his playing days. Several late-developing stories from respected journalists have surfaced that refute that, noting that there is strong evidence that Iverson — while living somewhat flamboyantly — paid some attention to his finances over the years and is far from broke.
And then there is the tale of Florida resident Dennis Rodman, perhaps the most colorful of all former athletes. Rodman has been a news magnet for years, with controversy and inconsistencies swirling around him on many fronts.
His current legal battle in a California court is just the latest example of that. In a nutshell, it is this: One of Rodman’s ex-wives claims he is delinquent on child support payments to the tune of nearly $860,000. He flatly disputes this, with a spokesperson for him saying that there is “no determination that he’s even behind.”
Rodman’s attorney says that a support order issued in 2010 was “without consideration” of his actual income, that Rodman never was properly served legal papers, that the court has never been apprised of the payments Rodman has actually made, and that he has been paying to the best of his ability every month.
Rodman was found in contempt of court last year, but his legal time has recently filed a motion to vacate that ruling. He has a scheduled court appearance next month.
Given the complexities often involved in a matter such as child support or child custody, what really happened — the dates, the payments, the contentions, the papers filed and related matters — is sometimes not clearly evident.
At a minimum, and as Rodman’s case suggests, there are indeed two sides to every story.
Contact an experienced South Florida family law attorney for prompt response to any question or concern related to child support or another family law matter.
Source: ABC News, “Dennis Rodman’s lawyer says he’s not a ‘deadbeat dad,'” Sheila Markar, March 29, 2012