Millionaire John Stanton III, who has escaped paying child support for years, has finally been captured. Last December, when a judge ordered Stanton to jail for almost six months and to finally pay the child support and alimony, he went into hiding. United States Marshals have been trying to locate Stanton for the past nine months, and just arrested him this week. Stanton owes approximately $10 million dollars in child support and alimony.
Stanton had assets over $250 million at one time, but has claimed that he is now bankrupt. Stanton neglected to show up for any of three separate bankruptcy hearings that were scheduled for his case. Some estimates of his assets indicate, however, that his net worth is still around $120 million.
His former wife has been pursuing the court ordered child support and alimony for years. She has said that their son suffers from diabetes. According to Stanton’s sister-in-law, this financial support is needed in order to care for his son.
The state of California aggressively pursues parents who don’t follow through on their financial responsibilities, so that any children can be protected and their needs provided for, regardless of how much a parent is involved in the children’s lives. As divorce is particularly upsetting for children, a family court will determine what is in the best interests of the child when determining any agreement that each parent is legally bound to follow, and will ensure that any agreement is enforced.
Source: ABC Action News, “‘Millionaire deadbeat dad’ John Stanton III arrested, accused of owing $10 million in child support,” Alison Morrow, Sept. 7, 2012
- Our firm works with parents who need to establish or collect support payments from another parent. For more information on the subjects discussed in this post, please visit our Orange County child support page.
