Mario Chalmers, point guard for the Miami Heat, has been in court a few times in recent years discussing child support for his daughter. He has been in court again recently, this time fighting a court order that increased his monthly child support amount to $10,000 a month.
Chalmers’s ex-girlfriend, Brittany Burrough, originally filed for child support back in 2012, at the amount of $800 per month. The court found that the child’s needs were met with that amount (in addition to what Burrough herself earned), and it was approved. Later on in 2013 when Chalmers signed a new contract that more than quintupled his pay, Burrough had the agreement amended, stating that the child’s needs had risen to $2,200 per month, eventually raising the child support payment to $2,600 a month.
Chalmers agreed to the payment because he wanted his daughter to be able to go to the best private schools, and part of the money was specifically for that purpose. His attorney, Nancy Hass, has said that since then, some of Burrough’s lifestyle choices have been alarming, and made it seem as if she were benefiting more from the child support payments than the daughter was.
Hass also has argued that $10,000 is drastically above and beyond the child’s needs, and that good fortune on the part of one parent does not necessarily mean the other parent should immediately benefit.
Burrough’s attorney, Roger Schindler, agreed to a point, but states that $6,000 of the total payment will be put aside into an account that both parents will have guardianship over, specifically for future needs such as college or emergency medical bills. He also went on to state that even the $10,000 is but a small, borderline-insignificant percentage of Chalmers’ monthly income, and that he spends at least that much on a personal assistant.
Chalmers’ attorney is fighting the legality of having a savings component for child support, stating that there isn’t even such a thing in alimony agreements. He also mentioned that Burrough remains employed only part-time, and is underutilizing her paralegal education.
It is unknown how the judge will rule at this time.