Halle Berry has made news recently for more than just her movie and television career. The star has gone to court to seek a drastic reduction in the amount of child support she pays to her ex-boyfriend for her now 7-year-old daughter. The modification process can hinge on the proof of a substantial change in income or the needs of the child. Missouri parents who feel they pay too much or receive too little child support may find the modification process is the answer to the problem.
In the case of Halle Berry and her ex-boyfriend, the pair had a child together in 2008. They split in 2010. In a court proceeding last year, Berry agreed to pay for school tuition and half the health care costs for the child. She also agreed to pay $16,000 a month in child support.
Berry now believes the amount is more than needed and simply gives her ex-boyfriend a means to void working for a living. The amount of support totals $192,000 a year. Berry is seeking to reduce the amount to $3,000 a month. At the hearing last year, she was also ordered to pay attorney fees for the father.
A reduction or increase in the amount of child support can be sought when conditions or circumstances warrant a closer look at a child support order. Missouri parents who believe an amount paid for child support is not going entirely to the support and care of a child may want to seek a formal modification. Circumstances that warrant a modification can include a change in income, the changing needs of a child as the child gets older and/or health and education needs that alter the amount of support that was once sufficient but no longer meets the current needs.
Source: New York Daily News, “Halle Berry faces ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry in secret trial over child support“, Nancy Dillon, July 14, 2015
