Saint Lucie County Legal Issues Blog

Two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro's divorce fight is becoming increasingly complicated as his estranged wife Grace Hightower wants half of his fortune, which she alleges is around $500 million. According to sources, the separated couple is battling over the wordings of a prenuptial agreement they signed when they married for the second time in 2004. The couple was first married in 1997 but split in 1999.

As per the conditions of the prenuptial agreement, Grace is entitled to a $6 million apartment, $500,000 cash, $1 million a year in alimony and half the value of their second apartment. However, Grace is arguing for half of De Niro's earnings since 2004 when the couple remarried.

A question often raised by non-custodial parents is whether they can modify child support. As long as there is a significant change in circumstances, Florida law allows the payment amount to be modified any time. However, this does not happen automatically and the non-custodial parent will have to file a formal motion with details of specific circumstances underlying the request in the court seeking a review and revision of child support.

In a recent child support dispute case, a famous baseball player could be able to convince the court to reduce his child support payments to an ex-mistress. Under the modified court order, he now only has to pay $14,000 a month in child support, instead of the $20,000 a month that was originally ordered in the last judgment. He contested the earlier child support order citing it was grossly inflated and created a windfall for the mother.

After the breakdown of a marriage, parents must agree on the arrangements for their children. They will need to determine which parent will get custody of the child and who will have visitation rights. However, such arrangements don't always work as expected. Many times, custodial interference arises due to a violation of the parenting plan or court order by a parent.

Recently, a music producer filed papers in court asking for full custody of his child as well as child support. After a long court battle that ended just a year ago, the couple had agreed on joint physical custody of the child, with the mother having primary custody. However, the music producer has now changed his mind regarding custody of the child.

Non-custodial parents are obligatory by law to pay child support so that the parent with primary custody does not have to struggle for maintaining the children's standard of living. In case of someone's failure to pay court-ordered child support, the state and federal laws mandate strict enforcement procedures. A non-custodial parent's failure to keep up payment can subject them to stiff penalties and even jail time.

Recently, a singer-songwriter managed to avoid jail by making a payment of $62,499 to his ex-wife for back child support. He also placed a check in advance for future child support for next three months in an escrow account. However, this is not the first time the singer failed to make the required payments. Couple of months back, he was arrested on suspicion of failure to pay child support and released from custody after the payment was made by a supporter on his behalf.