Halle Berry faces $20K monthly child support order

Most Washington state parents who dissolve their marriages or relationships cannot imagine receiving or paying $20,000 per month to satisfy a child support settlement. Of course, the majority of us do not even earn that much money on a monthly basis.

Very high-income couples, however, often experience very high child support awards. An example of an especially high child support award occurred last month when a judge ordered actress Halle Berry to pay $20,000 per month to support her 4-year-old daughter.

Berry has long been locked in a custody battle with her ex. She is currently attempting to get the court to allow her to move her daughter to Paris where she intends to live with her fiancé.

Child support can be a difficult issue to resolve. Family court judges in Washington state are charged with holding the best interests of the child as paramount. Calculating child support can be a complex matter, governed by several state support guidelines. It is possible to convince a judge that a deviation from the state guidelines is warranted in some cases.

In especially contentious divorces, non-custodial spouses or spouses awarded partial custody might try to hide income in order to minimize a child support order. Discovery, the process of obtaining evidence in civil court, can bring a spouse’s real income to light and ensure a fair child support award.

Sometimes even the most careful calculations will result in disputes. Occasionally, parents forget that child support does not represent money for the parent, but rather money to support the child.

Source: wibw.com, “Halle Berry Ordered To Pay $20k A Month In Child Support,” Jun 21, 2012