One of the final stages of divorce for families with children is determining who will have custody. Laws in all states, including Tennessee, usually require the parent who does not have custody to pay child support to meet the child’s financial needs. Sometimes, though, life events make paying child support hard even if a noncustodial parent wants to do the right thing.
This is the claim of former basketball player Eric Williams, whose career included stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets. The 41-year-old man owes almost $24,000 in back support for his 13-year-old son.
Williams’s ex-wife, Jennifer appeared on VH1’s reality series “Basketball Wives” in 2010.
Last year, Williams was reportedly taken to court by a girlfriend who alleged the former star was not providing enough child support for the child the two had together in 2011 when he was still married. The girlfriend’s attorney claimed that Williams consistently failed to respond to all legal inquiries.
In a letter to a family court in Colorado, Williams recently claimed that poverty and homelessness have been preventing him from paying support and even attending court hearings on the matter. He was supposed to attend a support hearing in early April but failed to appear. He also says he never received a court-ordered citation because he has no home address. He also says he could not afford airfare to the hearing.
Sometimes noncustodial parents face financial difficulties that make prompt payments of child support difficult. And sometimes supporting parents try to hide their income in order to avoid making support payments. Those who legitimately cannot afford such payments can seek to have the amounts modified but they must show that their income has changed. Any Tennessee resident who needs a modification order should consult with an experienced legal professional.
Source: News One, “Eric Williams Former ‘Basketball Wives’ Star, NBA Player Is Homeless And Broke,” Ruth Manuel-Logan, April 21, 2014
