Football fans in California may be familiar with former New Orleans Saints player Robert Meachem. Meachem played for the Saints when the team won its only Super Bowl title in 2010. Now, Meachem is facing allegations that he failed to pay almost $400,000 in alimony and child support to his ex-wife.
A domestic court judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary ruling Nov. 28 that found Meachem guilty of contempt of court. According to the judge, Meachem owes his ex-wife $388,019 in back child support. Meachem can avoid fines and jail time by paying the child support debt before Dec. 20, or he could object to the judge’s ruling. Meachem was not present in court when the ruling was issued.
Meachem was married to his ex-wife for six years and has two children with her. When the couple’s divorce was finalized in 2015, Meachem was ordered to pay $20,000 per month for child support. He was also asked to pay back support in the amount of $8, 667 for part of June. In addition to the back child support issue, Meachem is facing a contempt of court charge for failing to produce his manager for a deposition.
Some child support orders must be recalculated every so often so that changes in the parents’ incomes can be taken into account. A person who is paying a monthly child support bill that they can no longer afford may want to talk to an attorney. An attorney may be able to help the parent to file a petition for a child support modification.
