In St. Louis, people who have children from more than one relationship may end up with multiple child support orders. The orders may not be identical for each relationship. For example, the amount of child support a father pays for a daughter from his first marriage may be more or less than the amount he is ordered to pay for a daughter from his second marriage.
This is because child support is calculated based upon a number of factors. Missouri courts consider the income of each parent, health costs of children, the amount of time the children spend with each parent, schooling costs, and more when coming up with a child support order. These factors may differ from relationship to relationship.
A high-profile example of this issue is playing out in the entertainment media. An ex-wife of Marc Anthony, Dayanara Torres, is seeking a child support increase, in part, because Anthony’s other ex-wife, Jennifer Lopez, receives much more than her in child support.
Torres reportedly receives $13,000 per month for their two children, and this has been the case since the couple’s 2004 divorce. Lopez and Anthony split in 2012 and he reportedly pays her far more than $13,000 in monthly child support for their two children. The exact amount has not been reported.
Additionally, Lopez has a much greater net-worth than Torres.
Torres has requested a very large increase – she wants $112,000 a month.
It will be interesting to see how this case plays out. As noted above, child support orders for separate relationships have a limited bearing on each other. However, in this case Torres also is arguing that Anthony claimed to have a much lower income at the time of their divorce and that he rarely sees their children.
In Missouri, it is possible to obtain a child support modification if the income of either party changes substantially. The number of overnight stays with each parent can also affect child support obligations.
Source: Huffington Post, “Marc Anthony’s Ex Dayanara Torres Drags Jennifer Lopez Into Child Support Battle (Report),” Nov. 27, 2013
