Singer Chris Brown recently found out that he is the father of a nine-month baby girl. Chris Brown - Surprise, I'm A Father, by TMZ Staff, tmz.com, March 3, 2015. After finding out, Brown apparently quickly stepped up and made a deal with Nia Guzman, the mother of his child, to pay child support in an amount substantially greater than required under the law. In return for the extra child support, Brown allegedly demanded that Nia keep his paternity a secret. Obviously that didn't happen because several news outlets have been running the story over the past couple weeks.
As a result, Brown is preparing to file suit asking a Judge for a child support order. Chris Brown to Baby Mama: You Blabbed…Now You're Gonna Pay, by TMZ Staff, tmz.com, March 7, 2015. This may seem strange, given that there is no current order requiring him to pay child support, but it actually is very smart. First, he will pay less under a formal child support order than he is currently paying (assuming he is actually paying more than is required). The amount will still be substantial since it is based on his income, but it will go down. Further, the amount he is required to pay will be in a court order. The parties will have something firm to look to if they have any issues with child support. In addition, he will be able to ask for formal visitation with his daughter as part of the lawsuit, if he chooses to do so. He will then have an Order outlining when he can see his daughter, which will help if he and Guzman do not remain on good terms (which after this lawsuit is certainly possible!).
While suing the mother of your child so you can pay child support is counter intuitive, it can actually help your relationship as the resulting order will lay out exactly how, when and what child support is to be paid. It will set boundaries in the relationship as it relates to money, custody and visitation and allow the parents to focus their energy on co-parenting rather than fighting over these issues.