The singer and actor, Marc Anthony, has been ordered to pay more money in child support to his ex-wife, Dayanara Torres, for the two children they had together. The increase in the singer’s child support obligation comes after Torres filed for an increase on the basis of changes in her lifestyle and her need to employ a housekeeper and nanny.
In Marc Anthony’s case, a judge ruled that he shall increase his monthly child support payments, which were formerly $14,400, up to $26,800. In other words, the singer is now paying double what he was previously. In the court papers that his ex-wife filed, she further claimed that Anthony had been neglecting his children. She said that he only spent 35 days with them in 2013.
Anthony disagreed with his ex-wife’s claims and disputed them in court. He was able to show that in 2012 he had spent a total of 71 days with his children. Also, even though the doubling of his child support payments may seem extreme, the result was better for Anthony than what his ex-wife was originally seeking. Believe it or not, the original court papers she filed requested that his monthly child support be increased to $123,426 every month.
A change in life circumstances — either for the spouse who is receiving child support or for the spouse who is paying child support – may be an acceptable basis for requesting a change in child support amounts. Indeed, in some cases, a Maryland resident could lose his or her job and/or suffer a financial catastrophe that makes it impossible to pay his or her current level of child support. In other cases, better financial circumstances could result in an ex-spouse being required to pay more each month.
Source: New York Daily News, “Marc Anthony ordered to pay $26,000 a month in child support to ex-wife Dayanara Torres” Margaret Eby, Jun. 13, 2014
