Readers in Ohio may be aware that one person recently won a huge Powerball jackpot. In fact, the Powerball jackpot was valued at $338 million. At the time that he won the lottery, the man was the non-custodial parent of his children. Three of the kids were the subjects of an order for child support, and the father was reportedly in arrears.
The man apparently owed some $30,000 in back child support. His kids range in ages from a 5-year-old up to 23. It is not clear which of the children were the subjects of the child support order that led to a warrant for the lottery winner, but the arrears apparently stemmed from a failure to pay dating back to 2009.
The lottery winner took his lottery winnings in the form of a lump sum payment rather than an annuity. After taxes, the winnings were valued at $152 million. The man appeared before the court after arrangements were made to pay the past due support from his winnings. The outstanding warrant was vacated. Moreover, he told the court that his children now live with him and that he intends to care for them in the future.
As is the case for child support matters in Ohio, the order for support was mandatory once it was issued. No changes in the amount paid could be made unless the court agreed to modify its order. This would have been the case even if the children had moved in with their father prior to his winning the lottery. When a person finds that they are in a similar situation, they may do well to review the process for child support in order to determine if a modification petition may be an appropriate option. Further, a custodial parent that is owed back support has a variety of potential enforcement measures.
Source: CNN, “Powerball winner pays $30,000 in back child support,” Lenny Bourin, April 1, 2013