Opinion ID: 2546336
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Failure to Pay Court-Ordered Child Support

Text: Since March of 1992, Respondent has been in arrears on child support owed to his first wife, Deborah Williams. He was ordered to pay this obligation through the District Court of Shawnee County, Kansas. Because Respondent has never amended the original divorce decree, he continues to owe Ms. Williams $353.00 per month for support of their two minor children. Although Respondent has made a few sporadic payments, as of January 15, 2004 he owes $28,076.69 in child support payments. In spite of the Kansas support order, Respondent falsely stated on his year 2000 attorney registration form, submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court, that he was not under a current order to pay child support. However, in the years 2001 to 2003, Respondent falsely certified on his Colorado attorney registration statements that he was in compliance with outstanding child support orders. Thus, Respondent misrepresented his legal obligation to pay child support in 2000, and later misrepresented the status of his child support obligation in 2001, 2002, and 2003. Respondent had an obligation, based upon the divorce decree entered in Kansas, to pay child support to Ms. Williams. Therefore, Respondent's failure to pay child support to Ms. Williams constitutes a violation of Colo. RPC 3.4(c) because he knowingly disobeyed an obligation under the rules of a Kansas tribunal. In addition, Respondent's misrepresentations to the Colorado Supreme Court regarding his child support obligations constitute a violation of Colo. RPC 8.4(c) because he was dishonest and deceitful in dealing with a court.