Former NBA star, Larry Johnson, was just sued for contempt by his ex, Laura Tate, for being nearly $900,000 behind in child support payments. Ex-NBA Star Larry Johnson - Settles Up With Baby Mama…Go Ahead, Take My House, by TMZ Staff, tmz.com, September 20, 2015. It appears as if Johnson did not have the cash to pay off this debt because, according to the article, Tate was asking the court to liquidate his assets. Despite this exorbitant amount of child support arrears, the parties have worked out an agreement wherein Johnson will sign over an $800,000 home to Tate, as well as pay her $55,000 over time and make $1,500 monthly payments.
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This case is a good example of how sometimes you have to be creative in contempt cases in order to satisfy the debt. Getting paid in cash is preferable because cash is liquid and can be used to pay expenses, or can just be put in the bank to earn interest. However, sometimes this is not possible. In fact, in many child support contempt cases, the parent is not paying child support simply because he/she cannot afford to. Consider the case of a father who has lost his job and, as such, has no income flow, but owns several properties and/or cars. While this father may not be able to pay off his child support arrears in cash, he could sign over ownership of one of these properties, or sell it and get the cash that way. If you find yourself in this situation, take a look at your entire financial portfolio (i.e. real property, valuable personal property, life insurance policies) and see what you can offer,. The Judge, and likely your ex, will appreciate any reasonable ideas you have to pay off your debt.