On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Support on Friday, July 13, 2012.
Terrell Owens, the former wide receiver for the Bengals commonly known as “T.O.,” was once again in the news for issues related to child support. Over the months this has been an ongoing issue for Owens, as the mother of his child has filed three complaints in the last year related to him supposedly not paying his court-ordered child support.
Owens was scheduled to appear in court yesterday for a child support hearing. However, due to a reported miscommunication, he did not show up and the hearing was rescheduled for next week.
The claim by the mother of the child is that he is $20,000 behind on child support payments. Considering the fact that he has been ordered to pay $5,000 a month for his 7-year-old daughter, this appears to mean he is four months behind on payments.
If Owens fails to appear in court again next week, there is a good chance that he could end up facing jail time.
When looking at this unpaid child support case, for the average Illinois father the message is to not take child support payments lightly, as failing to pay can result in serious consequences. Rather, if there is a reason that making payments on time is hard, it’s best to contact a family law attorney who has experience dealing with child support issues in order to see if a modification to an existing order could be possible.
Additionally, if a father is already behind on payments and has been contacted by Illinois Child Support Enforcement, don’t wait to see what will happen. Rather, seek out legal representation in order to have the case reviewed and determine next steps.
Source: WSB, “NFL’s ‘T.O.’ may face jail time over child support,” Erica Byfield, July 12, 2012