Minnesota residents may be familiar with Miguel Cabrera’s exploits on the baseball diamond. However, the Detroit Tigers star made news off the field earlier in 2017 when a woman filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court. The suit alleges that Cabrera fathered a child with her in 2013 and in 2015, and it also alleges that he has not made sufficient support payments.
In 2017, Cabrera had reduced the amount he provided in monthly support to $6,400 per month. This took place after he took out a mortgage for a house worth $924,774 in April. Although Cabrera has reportedly paid support since 2013, he has demanded paternity tests and claims that the woman is trying to extort him. Under Florida law, Cabrera would owe the woman 7.5 percent of his salary per year in child support if the children are deemed to be his.
This is because he has two dependent children and makes more than $10,000. In 2017, he made $30 million, therefore, he would owe her $2.25 million based on state law. His attorneys had argued that he should pay the woman less than this amount, and efforts were also undertaken to have the case thrown out. Cabrera has been married to his wife since 2002 and has three children with her.
If a child’s parents are divorced or otherwise not together, the custodial parent may be entitled to receive child support. This may help a parent meet his or her financial needs while raising a child. If noncustodial parents fail to make payments, they may be subject to penalties such as wage garnishment or jail time. Parents who are struggling to make payments as ordered may wish to pursue a modification to an existing order in an effort to make compliance easier.