Many Illinois fans of the popular singers Jenifer Lopez and Marc Anthony may be surprised to learn that the couple has finalized their divorce over two years after Anthony filed for divorce and almost three years after the couple separated. The couple decided that Lopez would have their children most of the time and that neither party would pay child support or spousal maintenance.
This may be good news for Anthony, who was also recently in court on a child support matter with another former wife. The judge in that matter proposed that Anthony’s child support increase to $27,000 per month for his two sons and that he would pay an additional $12,000 a year for medical needs, tuition and vacations.
Generally speaking, any time a couple gets divorced and they have minor children, child support will be an issue. There are some divorces however, like the divorce of Lopez and Anthony, where child support is not an issue, but those happen less frequently. Child support is generally based on the incomes of the parents and how much time each parent has the children in their care. The goal of child support is to ensure that the financial needs of the child are being met by both parents; not just the one who cares for the child more often.
Child support can also be modified. If the economic circumstances for one of the parents either increases or decreases significantly, they can go back to court to seek a reduction or increase in the child support obligation. However, even if a parent’s economic situation changes dramatically, the child support obligation remains the same until the current order is officially modified, and the parent obligated to pay faces penalties if they fail to do so in the meantime.
Many parents in Illinois pay child support or are going through the process of establishing child support. The amount is determined by a formula based on income and other factors. It is important to understand these legal factors to ensure that the proper amount of child support is paid.
Source: Quincy Herald-Whig, “Jenifer Lopez and Marc Anthony finalize divorce” June 18, 2014