Terrell Owens Accused Of Refusing To Pay Child Support

ATLANTA — The mother of Terrell Owens' child says the NFL star has refused to pay the full $5,000 a month in child support he owes.

Melanie Paige Smith filed court papers June 20 in an Atlanta court seeking to hold the player in contempt.

Owens "has failed and refused to pay the full amount of child support for June 2011," Atlanta attorney Randall Kessler wrote in court records. Owens' financial advisers have informed Smith that he's decided to no longer pay the full amount, Kessler added.

Kessler said Wednesday that Smith doesn't have any ill will toward Owens.

"She simply asks that he follow the order to which he agreed," he said. "Rather than discussing his situation with her or her lawyers first, he simply cut his child support."

Owens' agent, Drew Rosenhaus, did not immediately return messages Wednesday seeking comment.

Owens, a free agent, is recovering from knee surgery and can't sign with a team until the NFL lockout is resolved.

The athlete is a resident of Fulton County, which encompasses most of Atlanta and several suburbs, Smith's attorneys say. The case was filed in Fulton County Superior Court.

Smith says she's had to pay attorney fees and costs to enforce the court's May 2007 child support order, and she's asking for a judge to order Owens to pay those, as well.

Kessler said he's looking forward to hearing from Owens or his representatives and working out an agreement quickly.

Comments

[arrock]

03:26 PM on 07/01/2011

WOW I'm shocked(sarcasm)

[O K Ali]

08:22 AM on 07/01/2011

He's currently unemployed. I don't think I've ever spent 5k in one month, what all could that child need? To be fair, this isn't about the child and we all know it.

[AbeMartin]

06:29 AM on 07/01/2011

TO is at the end of a long career and may be concerned that soon he will be known as "Too Old" especially after his injury and subsequent surgery.    But the $60,000 per year he agreed to pay in child support for his three children is a pittance of his annual salary which is still over $1 million per year + incentives.  If he has invested the millions he has earned from football and endorsements over his 15 year career, he should be able to take care of his family with the interest that the interest on his money earns.

[cookerman45]

01:35 AM on 07/01/2011

im sure he has a good reason....

[DoctorWhoDat]

11:46 PM on 06/30/2011

TO get a DNA test on Maury Povich.

[motoGpifupleez]

11:05 PM on 06/30/2011

Pay up. Live with the consequence of your actions. Looks like he drops the ball off the field as well as on it.

[FreedomHaawk]

08:28 PM on 06/30/2011

As long as the government is involve in peoples life we are going to get these results. The entire child support fraud...oooops system is BIAS and UNFAIR to NCP. The Bradley Amendment,ridiculous state percentages and bias judges are factors which contribute to the unfairness and father will forever refuse to pay.

A 100 years from now we will still have the same results if the system is not fixed. $5000 for one child . plllllzzzzzz

[Dominick Roffo]

10:58 PM on 06/30/2011

The amount is based on the absent parent's income

[MXL]

07:46 PM on 06/30/2011

"... failed and refused to pay the full amount of child support for June 2011"

Damn, June isn't even over yet.

[Pete Wood]

06:53 PM on 06/30/2011

A court order is a court order..........SEIZE HIS ASSETTS

[igdoodle]

05:19 PM on 06/30/2011

I'm sure I'll get skewered for this, but sometimes, there is a need to legislate common sense. There should be a universal child support payment scale for women who get pregnant by a celebrity out of wedlock. They should expect to receive child support payments roughly equal to half of the average cost of raising a child in a normal "middle class" family. Because since they are not married, she should have to provide her portion of expenses to raise the child just like all the other mothers of non-celebrity fathered children.

I really believe this would encourage more "birth control" and less "gold-digging related oopsies" relative to celebrities.

[Deejay Sweetlife]

03:51 PM on 06/30/2011

You all make me sick! Guess what? I am a single father with sole custody of my 14 year old son. Ive had custody of him since he was 6. His mother is ordered to pay me support and I don't even get enough from her a month to fill an average sized gas tank...thats if I get anything at all. She hasnt paid me in months. I seriously want to throw up reading a story about a chick thats pissed that her 5 stacks a month arent coming in. I also want to throw up because some grown ass baby gets paid millions of dollars a year to move a peice of pigskin around...really? Thats his...JOB??? Meanwhile, I'm working two jobs and cant even afford enough money to get the cable package to see Mr. Owens work his magic...what does he do again? Heart surgeon right?
I have to laugh because if T.O. worked at McDonalds this would be a non story, but since people shower him with millions of dollars to play a GAME for a living...they are shocked at this childish behavior! They are both children trying to raise another one.

[nightfly4257]

03:30 PM on 06/30/2011

Simple solution practice birth control. You can buy a lot condoms for $5,000 a month.

[Mr Ruthless]

02:53 PM on 06/30/2011

Gettin knocked up by a rich guy is like hittin the lottery.

[Mr Ruthless]

02:53 PM on 06/30/2011

500 for the kid and 4500 for the mommy, sounds fair. /sarcasm

[MrTown3]

03:21 PM on 06/30/2011

sounds accurate

[MrTown3]

02:40 PM on 06/30/2011

child support laws can border on ridiculous...60K for what?