For several months now, our blog has been following former NBA great Dennis Rodman, who is perhaps known as much for his patented brand of hard-nosed basketball as his ongoing legal issues. Specifically, we’ve been covering how Rodman is in the process of being sued by his ex-wife for failing to pay child support.
Court documents filed in Orange County, California by Michelle Rodman — his third wife — originally revealed that Rodman owed over $850,000 in back child support for his two children, and that he had failed to make payments.
In fact, Rodman — known as “the Worm” during his playing days — was eventually sentenced to 104 hours of community service this past May by an Orange County Commissioner on four counts of contempt for failing to meet his support obligations. In addition to the community service, he was placed on informal probation for three years and ordered to meet his ongoing support obligations.
In recent developments, Rodman has once again incurred the wrath of an Orange County Commissioner for his child support arrears.
Reports indicate that the Rodman and his ex-wife reached an out-of-court settlement whereby the amount of child support arrears owed by Rodman was reduced from over $850,000 to $500,000. However, he apparently has been failing to make sufficient payments toward the $500,000 settlement, prompting Michelle Rodman to once again head to court.
Just last week, the presiding Orange County Commissioner found that Rodman was again in contempt and ordered him to pay the $500,000 in back child support. He was also sentenced to informal probation and threatened with jail in the event of noncompliance.
Interestingly, Rodman’s attorney indicated that much of the problem can be traced to the fact that he wasn’t served with the proper court documents and that once he learned of the problem, he began making the necessary payments.
While you might think this is the end of the matter, the two parties are actually scheduled for another hearing in late January to resolve child custody and visitation.
Stay tuned for more from our Ft. Worth family law blog …
To learn more about child support or post-divorce issues, contact an experienced and skilled legal professional.
This post is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.
Sources:
OC Weekly, “Dennis Rodman, who wormed his way out of paying child support, must cough up $500k,” Matt Coker, Dec. 7, 2012
The Los Angeles Times, “Dennis Rodman ordered to pay $500,000 in back child support,” Houston Mitchell, Dec. 7, 2012
