New Jersey residents may know that a court has ordered music executive Matthew Knowles to pay the mother of one of his children $70,822 in back child support. The judge who implemented the court order said that Knowles had willfully acknowledged paternity of the child after paying the baby’s mother $225,000 to keep her quiet. The ruling also stated that Knowles knew of his paternity in September 2009, and that the money was meant to avoid a formal support order against him.
In addition to the back support, Knowles was ordered to pay an additional $1,496 a month in regular child support and is also responsible for the child’s health care. He was also required to pay $50,000 toward the mother’s legal fees. The judge also gave the mother sole custody of the child and admonished Knowles for a lack of interest in the child.
A man who has been deemed the father of a child may be required to pay child support whether or not he has custody of the child. If the father is given sole or legal custody of the child, the child’s mother may be required to pay child support to help the father with the cost of raising the child to adulthood. The amount of support may depend on several factors to be decided all or in part by state law.
Those who are looking to get a child support order may wish to talk to an attorney. It may be possible to verify that the child belongs to the parent who has refused to pay support in the past. Those who are paying child support currently may wish to talk to an attorney about obtaining a modification of the support order if there have been changes in either parent’s financial circumstances.