Many Texas parents may have trouble affording to care for their children when the other parent suddenly stops paying child support. Even those who have celebrity status or who have ex-spouses who are celebrities can have trouble with nonpayments. For example, Dean McDermott's ex-wife reportedly went back to court after she alleged that he stopped making child support payments.
According to the court documents, the ex-wife claimed that McDermott has failed to pay child support for the former couple's 18-year-old son but continues to flaunt a lavish lifestyle. The ex-wife claims that he owes more than $100,000 in back child support and is constantly behind on the son's university tuition and therapist bills. However, she notes that he had been on two luxurious vacations within six weeks of her filing the court documents and continues to throw lavish parties for his other kids.
McDermott and his ex-wife married in 1993. They divorced in 2006 after McDermott had an affair with Tori Spelling. The former spouses reportedly came to an agreement in March over back spousal support and child support that he owed the ex-wife.
Many parents rely on child support to help pay for the children's housing, food, medical care and schooling. Although many parents who are required by the court to pay child support do the best they can to make timely payments, others decide to simply not pay even if they are able to. A family law attorney may help a custodial parent go back to court to enforce the child support order if the other parent refuses to pay. If the parent required to pay child support cannot afford it due to changes in his or her financial circumstances, an attorney may ask the court for a modification to the child support order.