Dennis Rodman back in court over child support
ORANGE, Calif. (AP) - Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman has been told he could face up to 20 days in jail unless he pays some $860,000 in child support...
ORANGE, Calif. (AP) — Flamboyant former NBA star Dennis Rodman has been told he could face up to 20 days in jail unless he pays some $860,000 in child support. But his lawyer said he’s made payments and will fight to have his contempt of court finding overturned.
Rodman appeared in an Orange County court Tuesday for sentencing but it was postponed to May 29.
Rodman, 50, was found in contempt of court in November for failure to pay child support for his two children.
His ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, 44, contends that he owes more than $860,000 in child and spousal support. Rodman’s attorney, Linnea Willis, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he owes far less, if anything at all, and she will provide the family court judge with evidence of his payments.
Rodman always has paid support “to the best of his ability” and will continue to do so, she said.
“We’re filing a motion to vacate the contempt finding,” Willis said. “There’s been no determination that he’s even behind.”
A message left for Michelle Rodman’s attorney, Jack Kayajanian, was not immediately returned Wednesday.
The case is being heard in Orange County, where Rodman lived for more than a decade before moving to Florida. He was ordered in 2010 to pay $50,000 a month in support, although that was later knocked down to $4,500 a month.
The contempt finding was based on the larger figure, which Willis has disputed as unrealistic.
In court documents, she indicated that Rodman was broke but on Tuesday she said he earns more than $100,000 a year from appearances.
“Obviously he doesn’t make what he made as a player but he does do well for someone who’s retired,” she said.
Rodman also pays child support for another son.
Rodman, who has struggled with alcoholism and tax problems, was a bad-boy star of the Detroit Pistons and won three NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. He also played for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was as well-known for his wild behavior and Technicolor hair as for his rebounding.
Rodman dated Madonna, was married to Carmen Electra, and gave loud parties that led to frequent run-ins with the law while living in the wealthy town of Newport Beach for over a decade.
He sported face jewelry and a relatively somber black shirt during his court appearance.
In 2008, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor spousal battery for striking his then-girlfriend, Gina Peterson. He was ordered to undergo counseling and to perform highway or other physical labor.
He was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame last year.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
You Might Like
