A recently filed child support lawsuit may be of interest to some Pennsylvania parents. The ex-wife and son of former Harlem Globetrotter, Meadowlark Lemon, are requesting $250,000 in back child support. The son is now 48 years of age.
The couple had been married for 22 years when they filed for divorce in 1977. According to the ex-wife, Mr. Lemon paid $2,500 in child support each month for a year after the divorce and then quit. She says he left her with the responsibility of having to pay off numerous bills without any help from him, while their son claims the legal troubles he encountered as a young adult were the result of the lack of financial support from his father. As a teenager, he did not finish high school and was arrested for forgery when he was 21.
Mr. Lemon, who is 83 and still plays basketball, does not understand the reasoning behind the lawsuit after all this time. He feels that if it is because his son is in need of money, he should find a job and earn it for himself. His ex-wife has stated the support was ordered by the court, but there was no mention in a report on the case of any legal penalties Mr. Lemon is facing as a consequence of not making payments all those years ago.
Parents in Pennsylvania who go through the difficult circumstance of divorce also have the responsibility to ensure their children are financially supported in the best way possible. Custodial parents who are not receiving the court-ordered child support payments they need to care for their children have legal options. With the help of a legal professional, they can work with the system to obtain the funds they need to raise their children.
Source: New York Daily News, “Harlem Globetrotters’ star Meadowlark Lemon sued for $250,000 in child support“, Doyle Murphy, May 17, 2015
