One of the unfortunate aspects of many divorces here in the United States is that they sometimes result in ongoing legal battles over the payment of child support. Specifically, a mother may have to go to court to secure payment from a father who is intentionally withholding funds, while a father may have to go to court to petition for a modification in the amount of child support paid due to a substantial change in his circumstances.
Interestingly, these often unpleasant legal battles frequently generate headlines here in the U.S. when an otherwise wealthy parent — businessperson, professional athlete, entertainer, etc. — decides to seek a reduction in the amount of child support paid.
It’s important to note, however, that the U.S. is certainly not the only place with these widely reported child support battles. Consider a recent case out of China, where the man referred to as China’s Warren Buffet is being sued by his own son.
According to reports, Zhao Bingxian — the chairman and CEO of China International Capital who is worth an estimated $1.6 billion — is being sued by his nine-year-old son for both child support and visitation.
Zhao, who filed for divorce from his wife of 22 years back in 2010, recently petitioned a Chinese court for a reduction in the amount of child support paid to reflect the average monthly wage in Beijing, which sits at roughly $820.
The lawsuit filed by the son, most likely at the behest of Zhao’s estranged wife, seeks to stop this, and requests upwards of $16,300 in child support and visitation twice a week.
At a recent hearing, Zhao’s wife indicated that her son filed the lawsuit due to the fact that his father had stopped paying financial support to both of them for many years, depriving them both of basic living conditions.
“While neighbors are sending their children to private schools with several hundreds of thousands of yuan of tuition, I can only send my son to a common school and will even not be able to afford that,” said the wife, who has been involved in altogether bitter divorce proceedings with Zhao over the last two years.
While not all child support battles are this newsworthy or involve such high stakes, it doesn’t mean they are any less important.
Remember, if you would like to learn more about child support or child custody issues here in Minnesota, you should strongly consider consulting with an experienced attorney who can outline your options and enforce your rights.
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