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Donald Bren's intensely private life becomes public as child-support trial begins - Los Angeles Times

Billionaire Donald L. Bren walked into a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday wearing a suit and sneakers. His footwear may have been comfortable, but the occasion certainly wasn't: A lawyer representing two of his ...

Billionaire Donald Bren Sued For Child Support - ABC News

It's hard to know what matters most -- the money or alleged broken promises. Both are at the heart of a child support case involving billionaire Donald Bren and his two grown children from a former girlfriend ...

Billionaire testifies in child support suit brought by children - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

LOS ANGELES -- Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Bren testified Thursday in the child support case brought by his two adult children, saying he was shocked when his then-lover told him decades ago that she ...

Donald Bren Child Support Case: Sons Want $400,000 A Month - Huffingtonpost.com

LOS ANGELES — Billionaire Donald Bren, who has spent a lifetime protecting his privacy, is breaking the pattern by showing up in a Los Angeles courtroom to air details of his private life in a legal battle ...

Billionaire Donald Bren testifies in child support trial brought by his 2 adult ... - Orlando Sentinel

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billionaire Donald Bren has begun testifying in the child support case brought by his two adult children from a long-ago love affair who are seeking millions. Bren said Thursday that he was shocked ...

Billionaire Donald Bren testifies in child support case - USA Today

LOS ANGELES — Billionaire real estate mogul Donald Bren testified Thursday in the child support case brought by his two adult children, saying he was shocked when his then-lover told him decades ago that she ...

Child-support case sheds light on billionaire's fortune - AZCentral.com

LOS ANGELES - Billionaire land developer Donald L. Bren has a reputation as a major political donor and a generous philanthropist. But two of his children from a former girlfriend are alleging the Irvine Co ...

Trial starts in suit claiming billionaire Donald Bren owes retroactive child support - Chicago Tribune

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Billionaire Donald Bren , one of the nation's richest men, sat in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday across from his two grown children from a long ago love affair who are battling him for ...

Irvine Co.'s Bren sued for more child support - msnbc.com

LOS ANGELES -- Theirs was a "loving and trusting" relationship, as court documents describe it -- an on-again, off-again love affair that lasted 13 years. Now, multibillionaire Donald Bren and his former girlfriend ...

Billionaire is questioned about wealth, personal life in child-support case - Bellingham Herald

LOS ANGELES Billionaire Donald L. Bren walked into a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday wearing a suit and sneakers. His footwear may have been comfortable, but the occasion certainly wasn't: A lawyer representing ...

Resolved Question: Child Support advice?

Ok so my ex and my daughter moved out of their old house because my ex could not afford living there, well my parents decided to help her untill she had enough for a deposit to get an apartment. This was back in August of 2009, a year ago basically. My parents do not charge her a dime of rent and she doesn't even have to pay for food. Also, my daughter has a babysitter that cooks and cleans that the my ex does not pay for either, my parents do. Well, because of all my parents were doing for my ex and my daughter, we all agreed that I should not pay child support anymore because she was had everything she needed. Its a year already, with a couple months my ex gets moved with my parents, she gets a DUI, her chances of getting an apartment are ZERO. So she's been driving with a suspended license. Just recently, she decides that she wants to move out of town and she raving on how I have not been paying child support and that she's going to open a case against me and make me drive 2 hours to pick my daughter and 2 hours back to bring my daughter with me, which I know will be discounted from the child support she receives. My ex says her bestfriends parents have a room for her and all she needs to do is pay for groceries, utilities, and babysitting. She has yet to get a job out there and she only works 15 hours a week here. Most of her money goes to her tattoo artist and she skips work to go fill out applications in the new town she wants to live in. Really all this is about my ex going on a rampage because I just got an apartment with my fiance. My ex told my mom that the only way she would stay is if I get back together with her, which I think is hilarious because its been 2 years since we've separated. We never married btw... My question is how bad can she screw me over with child support? I mean I only make $1600 a month, I'm in Los Angeles County, and she wants to move to Tulare County, i dont know if that is of any relevance. Also, I pick up my daughter every Saturday afternoon and I drop her off the next afternoon. I'm just wondering what I should do to defend myself, I am clueless. I can't afford an attorney. more

Resolved Question: california child visitation rights divorced parents?

My girlfriend has sole custody of her child. She's been divorced for about a year now but the father of the child hasn't seen the child for about 2 years now. Due to his failure to appear in court for the child custody hearing my girlfriend was awarded sole custody. Oh and she also has a restraining order (protection order) for herself and the child against the ex-spouse for the next 6 years. All of a sudden the father of the child wants visitation. Can anyone explain how this works in California (Los Angeles)? How much visitation will he get? Anyway to stop his visitation or have them monitor until the child is of age (18 years old)? Can the father of the child disrupt the childs current living status (i.e. not permit her to continue to attend the private school she current is enrolled in, not permit her to participate in her dance classes, etc.)? The child's mother resides in Los Angeles and the father has no established residence anywhere. He may try to use his sister's address in Los Angeles or his parents address in Bakersfield area. Would he be allowed to take the child to Bakersfield for any visitation he is granted? Ideally we would like there to be no visitation. But if there must be some visitation then we'd prefer it to be monitored and within the Los Angeles area, is that possible? We're afraid that the father of the child may take the child and run. He has no established residence except living with relatives and no established employment (he does not pay the court order child support). So it's hard to track his whereabouts. The divorce was very bitter and he has shown aggression in the past. If you are a Family Law Attorney, you help, answers, and any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. This will definitely tear our family apart. We've worked so hard to build a happy life for my girlfrien's daughter. I work very hard so she has the best education, etc. With the father now wanting visitation rights, I know he will want to pull her out of school just because he is spiteful. Please help!!! Thank you. -M- more

Resolved Question: Would child support amount be much different if filed in Los Angeles County vs. in San Diego County?

I heard a saying that the Judges in Los Angeles are more liberal than in San Diego. A friend suggested to file the case in L.A. instead of S.D. so that the award amount for Child Support would be much greater. Any comments from family law attorneys please? more

Resolved Question: Is a woman that doesn't pay child support a dead beat/loser?

I bumped into an ex-girlfriend. She had 3 kids, two of which are living with the father. She has an order to pay support for the two kids, but she has never paid it...and the district attorney has never garnished her wages. She has been off and on public assistance with the other child. Her rent is subsidized by Section 8. She doesn't have a car (in Los Angeles you MUST have one). She does have visitations of her other children. However, I have seen on this site and in conversations with other women that if a man doesn't pay his child support he is a deadbeat & that he is shirking his obligation to financially support his children. To this woman's defense; if she was to pay her child support it would not leave enough money for her to care for her existing child at the same level. more

Resolved Question: What steps should I take once divorce docs have been filed?

My divorce is not taking the "discussed path" my ex and I had initially talked about. I currently live in the Los Angeles county area. Does anybody have a 1-2-3 step of items that I should be tackling? Meaning, 1) get an attorney, 2) set up an account with child support services; etc. BTW, should I really get an attorney? Please...serious answers. more

Resolved Question: How can i get my dad to pay the child support?

Im only 11 and i moved with my mom and my step father to Argentina from Los Angeles because we couldnt afford to live in california. Since we got here we havent got a penny from my dad in child support, even though he promised to pay it. My mom even gave up her spousal support for him to pay the child support. He told my mom in front of an attorney and a mediator and signed a paper saying that he would, and it has been almost four months now. Me and my brother havent even got a real spanish teacher yet, and we might have to cut the internet soon. PLEASE help. more

Resolved Question: How do people feel about this news article about illegals and babies born in the USA?

California is closer to ending illegal "Anchor Baby" births http://www.examiner.com/x-10317-San-Diego-County-Political-Buzz-Examiner~y2009m7d1-California-is-closer-to-ending-illegal-Anchor-Baby-births San Diego – Californians are one step closer to ending the “Anchor Baby” births by illegals throughout the state. In an effort to close ever-expanding social service programs the California Taxpayer Protection Act of 2010, Initiative 09-0010 has begun the signature process. The Attorney General of California released the last bit of paperwork required to get the “birth tourism” legislation moving forward. Petitioners must now collect approximately 450,000 California registered voter signatures. At a press conference in front of the City Hall Administration building, Ted Hilton- author of the bill, Bill Morrow-retired California State Senator, Peter Nunez-former United States Attorney and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement joined together to inform the residents of California to take the immigration issue into their own hands. This bill is for “real world citizens,” Morrow said. “The people of California have an opportunity to curb the illegal immigration. Many in California may not have seen the grass lately, but we’ve been seeding our roots.” According to the Attorney General for the state of California, who prepares the title and summary, the state would deny birth certificates to children born to undocumented parents unless the mother provides a fingerprint and other information to be given to the federal authorities. Finally, the initiative eliminates benefits for children in child-only CalWORKS cases which are not mandated by federal law. For those who want reassurance, the public benefit restrictions in this initiative have already passed and are on the books in five states, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Oklahoma and Arizona. The California ballot initiative is closely worded to the law on the books in Oklahoma, says Hilton. Many in California believe the federal government has dropped the immigration ball over the last 40 years. “In Washington D.C. they have a few nicknames; reform is code word for amnesty,” Nunez explained. He goes on to say that if Americans allow another amnesty wave to come ashore a new wave of immigrants will head to America – this time the number could be 40 million. Again Nunez says, “It’s time for the states residents to take care of the illegal immigration problem, the federal, state and local governments have failed.” As far as immigration containment issues there are three areas that need to be addressed; Border security, workforce enforcement and doling out of public benefits. This ballot initiative addresses the latter, benefits. The crux of this issue is the “birth tourism.” The state currently pays $400 million per year in ‘normal childbirth,’ according to the state of California Department Health’s latest records. “This doesn’t include the cost of premature births which the Center for Disease Control estimates as 12 percent of all births. The costs to taxpayers for these births and those born with disabilities are over $1 billion more annually,” Hilton said. According to California State Attorney General office, the initiative would save the taxpayers around $1 billion annually from eliminating the child-only CalWORKS program. Morrow believes the number is much higher. “If you add the costs for ending public benefits, the state will save much more than $1 billion per year.” Another concerned group that has come out and supports the 2010 ballot initiative are African-Americans. Ted Hayes who recently ran for congress against Maxine Waters in Los Angeles said, “American black men will stop the birth tourism problem connected to the 14th Amendment.” “That law was meant for West African slaves, not Latinos crossing the border illegally,” Hayes firmly stated. “The Latinos are taking money from the sweat from our backs; we intend to take it back.” Nunez concurs, “The 14th Amendment was a way for this country to overcome slavery. Our current national policy doesn’t even allow diplomats in this country to gain citizenship through birth.” Hayes admits it’s time African-Americans to start fighting for their state and country. “The Latinos want to make this about race. I’ll make this about race. The sponsors of this bill are not racists, they’re Americans and we stand with them.” *** Backed up by fact, Hilton notes in 1987 California’s teenage birth rate was below the national average. One short year later, pre-natal care commenced for illegal aliens. “Four years later that caused the state’s teenage birth rate to grow to twice the national average and the highest of any state,” says Hilton. According to the State of California, Department of Public Health’s latest birth records show there were 562,157 live births. A staggering 293,276 were born to a mother of Hispanic background. “The state estimates more

Resolved Question: How to file for joint custody in CA without an attorney?

A friend of mine was dating a girl for a significant period of time, she disappeared out of his life suddenly and popped back in when she was five months pregnant. The baby was born about a week ago. My friend is kind of in shock but he wants to act immediately to find out if the child is his so that he can become an active father and support his child as well as have a relationship with the baby. The mother of the child claims the baby may not be his but she thinks it's his... I really want to help my friend out because he is a real good guy. Based on these circumstances how can we go about determining paternity through the courts as well as filing for joint custody if the baby is his? We want to act as fast as possible, she is not letting him see the baby only through pictures and he doesn't want to waste any time so that he can begin bonding with the baby and doing whats right. This is his first child. *Note: He already tried to convince the mother to voluntarily agree to have a paternity test done but she is giving him the run around and stringing him along. We initially were gonna just do that and if the child was his we were going to go through the courts from that point forward. It doesn't look like it's going to happen that way so we want to court order the test and so on... Thanks so much! Details: State: California City: Los Angeles Child: New Born (1 week) Mother: A former girlfriend Status: Couple never married/single (She may be with another man now/other potential father) Birth Certificate: She put another guys last name, but claims the baby is my friends... Employment: Father of child (my friend) has a decent job, wants to try to do this without an attorney but will hire one if necessary. - Looking for a step by step reference legally in this circumstance if possible and any additional advice. Best wishes!Much appreciated Patrick! ty so much more

Resolved Question: Does anyone have attorney they can refer for child support/custody in Los Angeles area.?

Resolved Question: help me identify these fallacy?

39.Yeah, sure the Los Angeles district attorney believes that O. J. Simpson got a fair trial. But before you sign on to something like that, you might notice that O. J. is a black man and that the Los Angeles district attorney is a white man. That tells you all you need to know about his opinion of fair trials. 40.After his return to India, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh remarked that “Russia is far better than the United States.” When the learned that the 53-year-old multimillionaire vowed never to leave India again, it said the following about his remark concerning Russia: “Shucks. It would have been a gas watching him accumulate umpteen Rolls-Royces and four battalions of aging flower children in the exurbs of Vladivostok.” What technique was the Daily News using to “refute” the guru? 41.In response to the woman who felt that Chicago Honeybear cheerleaders were being exploited by men who viewed the Honeybears as sex objects, columnist Mike Royko devoted a column to the subject, suggesting that such women are hypocrites. The most sexually motivated of all sports fans, he said, are females, who gather in front of the TV screen solely to gawk at the muscular thighs and lean hips of the “hunks.” 42.Look, you can argue about it all day long, but I believe that Carmichael is the best person for the job, and I hope he gets it. That’s my opinion, and it’s as good as any other opinion, so we may as well change the subject. 43.You can’t trust the arguments you find in that magazine. It’s well known as a right-wing apologist for the wealthy. 16.Is the president guilty of sexual harassment, as the Republicans are yelping? Hey, give me a break! What’s important is jobs, health care, welfare reform. 17.The next speaker is going to speak in favor of the idea. But she works for the gun lobby. Don’t even bother listening to what she says. 18.Preferential treatment in hiring is something we must support; after all, can you think of a reason why we shouldn’t? 19.George, I speak for the rest of the neighbors on our street. Frankly, your front yard is a mess, and we’d appreciate it if you would do something about it. We put the time and money into making our places look nice, but the effort is largely ruined by one awful looking place right here in the middle of the block. We hope you’ll do something about it. more

Resolved Question: Child support to covet 1/2 of child care?

Hi, my ex gives me $850 in support a month. I have two children, we live in Los Angeles, we make the same amount of money and I have them 80% of the time. Summer is just around the corner and $850 will not cover ANY camp. Half my monthly paycheck doesn't even cover rent. I'm about to file my declaration this Thursday. Is there a FORM I can state what I request him to pay? He also won't help pay for the childrens' extra-curricular activities (school camp, piano, etc.) and I'm stressing out. Thanks. ***I'm doing this IN PRO PER - so please do not suggest an attorney, I can't afford it and apparently I make too much to get assistance. more

Resolved Question: I pay child support, Jurisdicition in California. I reside in Nevada & he left for Spring, TX w/o court order

My Ex filed a fraudulent Child Support issue, claiming I haven't paid child support since 1997. I have copies of signatures for sending money orders, cancelled checks. The State of Texas sent papers of a child's name that is not mine,proven by birth certificate. My Child Custody/Support case in California. I reside in Nevada. He left without Judicial consent to remove minor from the state of California. I have already had to file an-EX-Parte case in order to have a valid physical address to continue to send child support to. Information not provided, found by his new wifes' housing tax roles. How can I prove myself to the State of Texas that I do not owe a sum of $15,407.00 in back child support? Thus far I have attempted to reach the DA of Los Angeles, CA advised that I need a Judge's Order before they will speak to me. State of Nevada tells me, California case. The State of Texas Attorney Generals's office & Child Support division was sent 132 pages of proof? ((HELP)) more

Resolved Question: How Do You Feel About Jesse Jackson?

Please don not post racist coments. Jesse Jackson isn't letting anything like a secret out-of-wedlock daughter and growing questions about his personal and organization funding get him down. On the contrary: He's pressing forward with his Wall Street Project, in which some of America's largest corporations have donated millions to his network of charities and organizations. Ostensibly, Jackson's projects are designed to increase minority participation on Wall Street. But many corporations have learned that a hefty donation to Jackson's causes is simply the best way to change the reverend's political course and bring him around to their side. And the best way to ensure Jackson's support is to make sure that his family and close friends get a large slice of the pie. No wonder Jackson's most recent book is entitled, "It's About the Money: How to Build Wealth, Get Access to Capital and Achieve Your Financial Dreams." IT all began in the early '80s, when Jackson's demands moved Coca-Cola to award more distributorships to minorities. Among those who got the lucrative contracts: Jackson's half-brother, Noah Robinson (now serving a life prison sentence for hiring gang members to kill three business associates). In 1996, Jackson successfully pressured Texaco to pony up hundreds of millions to settle a discrimination lawsuit - even though no racial discrimination was ever proven. (A "smoking-gun" tape of company execs was later determined to contain no racial slurs.) But Jackson had learned that companies will pay up in order to avoid bad publicity and accusations of racism - even if totally unfounded. So in 1997 he formed the Wall Street Project - which now rakes in some $10 million a year. And as investigations by The Post, the Chicago Sun-Times and the Los Angeles Times demonstrate, Jackson's support was easily bought. Indeed, noted the L.A. Times, "Corporations have paid handsomely to get Jackson off their backs." For example: * In February 1997, Jackson filed a petition with the FCC to block Viacom's bid to sell 10 radio stations, saying the company had reneged on a promise to sell some of them to minorities. Viacom agreed to create a $2 million fund to promote minority ownership of broadcast properties. Jackson then ended his opposition, and the sale was approved. The fund is administered by Washington lobbyist Warner Session - who later awarded the Jackson's Citizenship Education Fund (CEF) $680,000. * In May 1998, Jackson called President Clinton to block a proposed merger of SBC and Ameritech, calling it "antithetical to basic democratic values." In early 1999, the two firms pledged $1 million to CEF; Ameritech agreed to sell its cellular business to a new partnership that included longtime Jackson pal Chester Davenport, who had no previous telecommunications experience. Davenport later hired Jackson's son Jonathan - who also happens to be president of CEF - as a consultant. (Jackson's wife Jacqueline is a member of the CEF board, and their son Yusef is the board attorney.) In March 1999, Jackson declared the merger to be "in the public interest. * In 1998, Jackson's sons Yusef and Jonathan were awarded the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributorship in Chicago by company head August Busch IV. He'd been introduced to the Jacksons by Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle - who later hired Karin Stanford, mother of Jesse's child, as a "consultant." Back in the '80s, Jesse Jackson had organized a boycott of Anheuser-Busch, complaining about the company's hiring and promotion practices. The two Jackson sons today refuse to disclose their own minority-hiring practices. * In Dec. 1998, Jackson threatened to block the GTE-Bell Atlantic merger unless he got guarantees regarding the minority community. Over the next four months, the companies pledged $1.5 million to CEF and gave Chester Davenport a 7 percent stake - and the chairmanship - of its new cellular business. In May 1999, Jackson endorsed the merger, now known as Verizon. And five Verizon executives just addressed Jackson's latest Wall Street Project conference. * In Dec. 1998, Jackson opposed AT&T's merger with TCI, charging the latter has "a "questionable record and a poor level of public service." The next month, AT&T pledged $425,000 to the CEF and sent its chairman to one of Jackson's conferences, where he pledged to hire a minority-owned firm to handle its bond offering. The firm that was eventually chosen for the $750,000 contract, Blaylock & Partners, has close ties to Jackson. * In Feb. 1999, Jackson negotiated a settlement in a racial discrimination lawsuit filed against Boeing by 13,000 employees. Days later, Boeing donated $50,000 to the CEF and made several subsequent donations. Later, the company arranged for hundreds of millions in company pension funds to be administered by minority-owned investment banks, at least two of which are Jackson financial backers. * In May 1999, Jackson pressured PepsiCo - on the eve of its initial public offering - to give part of the lucrative deal to Utendahl Capital Partners, which has since donated tens of thousands to CEF; PepsiCo has given substantially more. * In Sept. 1999, Jackson opposed the merger of CBS and Viacom. Two days later, Jackson - together with Chester Davenport and longtime partner Percy Sutton, a CEF board member (Jackson and his wife hold $1.2 million worth of shares in Sutton's Inner City Broadcasting) met with CBS Chairman Mel Karmazin and urged him to sell the UPN network to a minority owner. Viacom and UPN then pledged $730,000 to the CEF. The FCC eventually approved the merger - contingent on Viacom selling UPN within one year. Jackson also took Sutton along to promote Inner City investments (in which, as a shareholder, he and his wife stand to benefit) during a trade mission to Africa in his role as Clinton's special envoy to the continent. One of the few corporate heads to resist Jackson's shakedown efforts was T. J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress Semiconductor, who insisted his industry's workforce is appropriately diverse. The response from Team Jackson: "We can now officially describe Cypress Semiconductor as a white-supremacist hate group." "He declares racism based on dubious statistics," Rodgers told the Los Angeles Times. "Then he gives you a chance to repent - and the basic way to [repent] is to give Jesse money. The threat is you'll be labeled a racist if you don't." For years, the news media have taken a hands-off attitude to Jackson - particularly when it comes to his finances and his political hustling. Now, his personal scandal has finally forced him to open up the books and records. And it's becoming increasingly clear that Jesse Jackson has a great deal of explaining to do. more

Resolved Question: Paying off child support arrears is owe to the State of Claifornia?

My husband owes $75, 000 to the State of California in child support arrears and our attorney have offered a compromise to the state of California but the child support agency denied it without sending the application to the State. We would like to pay it off. At present, we are willing to offer about $25,000 to $35, 000 in cash. The Los Angeles office of child support is of no help to us. I think our attorney does NOT know what he is doing as well. We have already taken the case to State Hearing but the judge said the Court of State Hearing has no jurisdiction over compromise of arrears to the State. All this money is owed to the state and not to the parent.The child's mother committed welfare fraud and my husband does not want to bring it up in court. He was trying to get "Jackson Credit" because the child was living with the both of them while the mother had welfare sending checks to the grandmother's home. The interest is about 40K. All this money was welfare to the mother, which makes it the State of California’s money. I personally think the mother should go to jail, but ..........The child's mother committed welfare fraud and my husband does not want to bring it up in court. He was trying to get "Jackson Credit" because the child was living with the both of them while the mother had welfare sending checks to the grandmother's home. The interest is about 50K. All this money was welfare to the mother, which makes it the State of California’s money. I personally think the mother should go to jail, but .......... more

Resolved Question: Do you know!!!!!!!!!!?

The Myth that Child Support Enforcement 'Collects $4.10 for Every Federal Dollar Spent' One of the popular myths employed to justify huge, wasteful expenditures for child support enforcement (and to justify child support enforcement abuses) is the myth that "Child Support Enforcement 'Collects $4.10 for Every Federal Dollar Spent.' The stat apparently comes from the Congressional Budget Office, and has been repeated ad infinitum, including in the news story Child-support services in peril (Denver Post, 4/6/07). As usual, the child support collection industry is whining that the feds don't lavish them with enough money to waste. In my co-authored column Federal Child Support Enforcement Cuts Will Hurt Bureaucrats, not Children (Las Vegas Review-Journal and others, 12/17/05), I explained: "According to the Congressional Budget Office, this will lead to $24 billion in child support going uncollected over the next 10 years. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department Director Philip Browning are warning that the cuts will mean a drastic reduction in the amount of child support collected. A bipartisan group of senators has penned a letter opposing the cuts, explaining that 'in 2004, more than $4 was collected in support for every dollar invested in the program.' All of these claims, however, are based on false assumptions and misleading data. "It is true that federal figures show that over $20 billion in child support is collected nationwide yearly, and that only $5 billion is spent on enforcement. However, the vast majority of the funds collected are not done through enforcement tactics—they’re simply the payments already being made by law-abiding noncustodial parents. These payments will continue to be made regardless of the cuts. The myth that child support enforcement is a bargain was created by incorrectly counterposing total collections with expenditures on enforcement. "In reality, much if not most child support enforcement funds are frittered away in misguided attempts to collect artificially inflated paper arrearages from low-income men who couldn’t possibly pay them. Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement data shows that two-thirds of those behind on child support nationwide earned less than $10,000 in the previous year; less than four percent of the overall national child support debt is owed by those earning $40,000 or more a year. According to the largest federally-funded study of divorced dads ever conducted, unemployment, not willful neglect, is the largest cause of failure to pay child support. "The inflated arrearages are created in large part because the child support system is mulishly impervious to the economic realities working-class people face, such as layoffs, wage cuts, unemployment, and work-related injuries. According to the Urban Institute, less than one in 20 non-custodial parents who suffers a substantial drop in income is able to get courts to reduce his or her child support payments. In such cases, the amounts owed mount quickly, as do interest and penalties. "For example, a recent Urban Institute study found that only 25% of California's $14.4 billion child support arrearage will be collected over the next decade because the support amounts demanded of noncustodial parents are not realistic. The average arrears owed per debtor is $3,000 higher than the median annual earnings of employed child support debtors. Those in the poorest category have a child support debt amounting to their full net income for seven and a half years... "It is true, as critics of the cuts say, that the amount of child support collected by child support enforcement programs has increased from $2.4 billion in 1977 (2004 dollars) to nearly $22 billion in 2004. However, most of this increase has nothing to do with enforcement. For one, there are far more children receiving child support now than there were in 1977, in part because of welfare reform, which has obligated the fathers of children on welfare to pay child support to the states. Also, the amount of child support demanded from noncustodial parents rose sharply during the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, whereas most child support used to be paid directly from the noncustodial parent to the custodial parent, today most child support goes through the state systems, creating the illusion of increased collections. "For too long child support policies have been determined by politics instead of common sense; the mantra of 'help women and children' has allowed large-scale abuses and waste to go unchallenged. The proposed cuts won't interfere with efforts to collect legitimate child support, but they will save taxpayers $15.8 billion over the next decade. They will also force some discipline and restraint onto an area of government which sorely needs it." more

Resolved Question: Who thinks Brandy should go to jail for murder?

Beleaguered Brandy Fires Back, Gets Served 05/27/2007 12:31 PM, E! Online As remorseful as she might be, Brandy apparently doesn't think much of the lawsuits leveled against her. In court documents filed Wednesday, the 28-year-old singer "specifically denies each and every allegation" in the wrongful death complaints filed against her by relatives of the woman who died of injuries suffered in a four-car collision that the plaintiffs claim was caused by Brandy Norwood. The December 30 accident occurred on Los Angeles' 405 freeway when Brandy's Land Rover rear-ended a Toyota Corolla being driven by 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, who in turn hit 82-year-old Donald Lit's Toyota Tercel. That caused Aboudihaj's car to bounce into a different lane, where she was broadsided by 50-year-old Mallory Ham's vehicle. Aboudihaj died of her injuries at a nearby hospital the following evening. The California Highway Patrol has recommended that the L.A. City Attorney's Office charge the Moesha star with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter, but prosecutors have not yet decided whether to file charges. Investigators determined that Brandy wasn't under the influence of alcohol or any other substance at the time of the crash, nor was she talking on her cell phone or similarly distracted. However, that hasn't stopped the legal floodgates from opening. Three wrongful death suits have been filed, one by Aboudihaj's parents, one representing the deceased's two children, and, earlier this month, one by Aboudihaj's husband, Maroune Hdidou, for the loss of "support, maintenance, solace, moral support, companionship and comfort" that his "faithful and dutiful" spouse provided him. "This answering defendant specifically denies each and every allegation in the complaint and further denies that plaintiffs have been damaged in any sum or sums whatsoever," read court papers obtained by E! Online. (View the documents here.) In the filing, Brandy asserts her Fifth Amendment privilege to not incriminate herself and requests a jury trial. Ham is also named as a defendant in Hdidou's suit, but playing on the same side of the field as Brandy apparently hasn't given the woman any overriding sense of solidarity. According to documents obtained by tmz.com, Ham is also suing the former America's Got Talent judge for negligence and motor vehicle damage, claiming that Brandy "carelessly and negligently owned, operated, entrusted, leased, repaired, modified, maintained and/or controlled a 2007 Land Rover Range Rover so as to cause a multi-vehicle accident that severely injured plaintiff Mallory Ham and killed another person." The defendant was aware of the "probable harmful consequences of speeding…following other vehicles too closely…and tailgating other vehicles," the complaint states. Ham is seeking unspecified general, special and punitive damages for medical expenses, loss of earnings and other costs, as well as "past, present and future pain and suffering."OK, manslaughter, you are missing the point. GEEZ. more

Resolved Question: I can't help my children if I don't do something soon.?

I'm a male 46 years old living near Los Angeles. My former spouse will "stop at nothing" to have things always go her way. I have had to endure her abusive nature and have felt the effects of her torment for so long I am at the point of total immobilization. I want what is reasonable. I want to be able to visit my 3 children and have some say so in how they are being raised. She has sole legal and physical custody and can afford her own attorney. I have downloaded the forms but I feel so helplessly alone in this matter and with a sense of doom I just can't seem to muster up what it takes to get the job done. I just feel shame and dread and my children need me and they are being forbid to see or contact me. Can anybody help me, I'm desperate. I need some sort of support network, a personal coach or just someone who can lend their expertease to this situation. I have very limited sources for income, but I'm a good man and my children are the best kids anyone could want. more

Resolved Question: child services?

Child services? Recently, my ex-husband stopped paying child support/spousal support. I could not afford to take him to court, so I filed with child services. Once I found since he was not following his court order, that my attorney would most likely be paid by him and child services could take 6 months to 1 yr to get my support payments I went ahead and hired an attorney. NOW, my ex hired an attorney who told my attorney that I HAVE to close the Child service case out in order to go against him in court. Is this true. I would hate to cancel child service and find that was BS. Thank you Additional Details this is a case in Los Angeles county, Ca. for my girlfriends case. Thanks so far for all the responses, If anyone can give further info. We would greatly appreciate it. Thanks ptrip this is a case in Los Angeles county, Ca. for my girlfriends case. Thanks so far for all the responses, If anyone can give further info. We would greatly appreciate it. Thank more

Resolved Question: Britney files for divorce (finally)?

what does everyone think? is it about time or should they try harder to work things out for the sake of their two young children? Spears filed legal papers today in Los Angeles County Superior Court, citing "irreconcilable differences." In her petition, Spears asks for both legal and physical custody of the couple's two children, one-year old Sean Preston and two-month old Jayden James, with Federline getting reasonable visitation rights. As for money, sources tell TMZ the couple, who married in Sept. 2004, has an iron-clad prenup. Not surprisingly, Spears is waiving her right to spousal support. She's also asking the judge to make each party pay their own attorney's fees. Spears gives the date of separation as yesterday, the same day she flaunted her incredible revamped physique during a surprise appearance on David Letterman's show. Sources tell TMZ there was no single reason for Britney pulling the plug, rather, it was "a string of events." www.perezhilton.comthis is now being reported on www.sky.com/news, www.yahoo.com and www.bbc.co.uk/news so I think it really is truehere is a link to the court docs http://cdn.digitalcity.com/tmz_documents/110706_spears_petition_1.pdf more

Resolved Question: I need a pro bono attorney tos the county of los angeles for violating my rights during a child support case.?

I want to sue the county of Los Angeles for violating my rights during a child support case. I was improperly served and when I told them (Child Support Divison) and I was totally ignored and treated like dirt and I wish to sue them for that and they keep trying to file against when I have a pending federal lawsuit I am invovled in where I am the plantiff! I keep telling them that, they can not file and they still try. I want to sue them for harrassment and the mother for breach of an oral agreement that she would seek any support if I did not press any charges for attacking me on federal property in which I have a witness to this agreement. Someone help me!!!!!!! more