Child support is serious business, whether you are a famous basketball star or just an average Joe. A former Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons athlete, Dennis Rodman, divorced his wife in 2004, leaving two children primarily in their mother's care. The children are 10 and 11. Prior to the split, Rodman and his wife were in constant disputes, and the divorce sparked an intense debate as to who would receive custody of the children. When the divorce was finalized, Rodman agreed to pay permanent alimony for his children, but then failed to keep up his end of the bargain. Recently, his ex-wife brought on a lawsuit claiming that he has avoided paying her $800,000 in alimony.
Because of his talents and celebrity status, the courts determined that they would like to see Rodman put his basketball skills to good use in a community service effort. They declared that the NBC Hall-of-Famer was guilty of four counts of contempt involving child support. The amounts were due in 2009 and 2010 and were never paid. Rodman admitted to the press that it is all about the kids, and he is sorry that it came to this. According to Rodman's attorney, the courts originally demanded that he pay his wife and children $50,000 per month in spousal and child support.
The amount was too overwhelming for Rodman, so he turned to the divorce court for help. They lowered his monthly payments to a more affordable $4,500 of alimony per month. Now he intends to pay the alimony in a timely and reliable fashion. Rodman's ex-wife was glad to receive the money she deserved. Still, there are outstanding charges that she wants to bring to light, so Rodman will be back in the court on June 22, 2012 to address more contempt and neglected alimony charges. Rodman's attorney says that he does not owe nearly the amount of money that his wife claims that he does.
Court documents that were filed earlier this year indicate that the former basketball icon is now broke. This may be part of the reason that he was unable to afford the alimony payments. Rodman's tax return in 2010 shows that he earned about $150,000 but his financial manager admitted to the press that he owed a significant amount back in taxes and other financial obligations. Because of Rodman's flamboyant lifestyle, he has tarnished much of his image. By being so unique and controversial, marketers lost interest in using him for advertisements.
Rodman has been known to sport Technicolor hair and wear face piercings to keep up his outlandish image. Unfortunately, that kind of image doesn't work well with TV advertisements or on talk shows. Rodman also has a rocky relationship history including a short marriage to Carmen Electra and a relationship with Madonna before he settled down with his ex-wife. The basketball star used to live in Newport Beach where he threw loud parties and was always at odds with the police force. He then moved to Florida, and is now playing basketball in Europe. While Rodman admits that he is not receiving the finances that he once was, he believes that he is making enough to stay afloat.
Rodman will spend 104 hours of his time working in a community service setting. Chances are that he will be visiting schools or juvenile detention centers to teach the children there more about basketball. He pleaded in court that the judge would sentence him to community service that is near the residency where his children live. He was told to serve his time in Florida, even though his children live in Orange County, California. Paying alimony in a divorce is not an option, and it is mandated by the court. If you have discovered a run-in with your ex-spouse because he or she failed to pay you alimony or if your ex-spouse has set allegations against you that are not true, then you need to contact a family attorney. Many times ex-spouses will continue feuding long after the divorce is final. You will want a professional lawyer to help aid you during the volatile discussions that may arise from an alimony case.