Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, has been ordered to appear in person before an Arkansas judge in July to explain why he shouldn’t be held in contempt of court and, if the proceedings don’t go his way, he could face time behind bars.
The president’s son is facing a child support case in Arkansas in which he was ordered by the presiding judge in May to hand over information on his finances.
Attorneys representing Lunden Alexis Roberts, the mother of Hunter Biden’s child, filed a motion on May 18 to hold the president’s son in contempt of court after alleging he had failed to fully answer questions relating to his ability to pay child support.
Judge Holly Lodge Meyer issued an order on June 5 (pdf) saying Hunter Biden must appear on July 10 at the Independence County Courthouse in Batesville to explain “why he should not be held in contempt.”
In Arkansas, contempt of court is a Class C misdemeanor punishable by fines and prison time.
In her order, Meyer said that she would consider “punishment or sanctions” against Hunter Biden, including “incarceration for civil contempt until such time as the defendant fully answers discovery for a period of up to six months” and “incarceration for criminal contempt for a period of up to six months.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, for comment.
More Details
Roberts sued Biden for child support in 2019.
Initially, Biden denied that the child was his, but a DNA test confirmed he is the father.
In 2020, the two agreed to an undisclosed amount. Terms of the agreement are sealed because they contain sensitive personal information, including the amount of monthly support and each party’s source of income.
However, Biden later asked the court to review the child support arrangements because his financial situation had changed, leading to the case now being considered before the court.
He appeared before Independence County Circuit Court in Batesville on May 1.
During that hearing, his attorney said during proceedings that Biden had been paying $20,000 per month in child support, for a total of up to $750,000 since the support order was signed.
At that hearing, the judge ordered Biden to provide information on his income from his artwork, investments, employment, gifts from friends, and other sources.
The judge also said she couldn’t rule on the amount of child support because neither side had provided enough information in the discovery process to move forward.
Roberts’s attorneys have complained that the Biden team was dragging its feet in the discovery process and filed a motion on May 18 for Biden to be held in contempt.
Clinton Lancaster, a lawyer for Roberts, argued in the motion for contempt that Biden had been ordered to do something but didn’t and that this “is a habit and a game for Mr. Biden.”
Lancaster continued that Biden doesn’t want to disclose his income and “says that he is somewhat financially destitute” despite living in an oceanfront home in Malibu and going on foreign trips.
During the hearing in early May, the judge said she would press Biden’s legal team to fulfill their commitments in the discovery process.
In the June 5 order, she wrote that she was hereby giving Biden notice to appear in person at the Independence County Circuit Court on July 10 and “show cause, if any exists, why he should not be held in contempt.”
Meanwhile, rumors have swirled that Biden could face federal charges on allegations of tax- and gun-related violations.
Rumors of Federal Charges
The U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware has been investigating Hunter Biden’s tax affairs.
The president’s son said in 2020 that he was taking the investigation “seriously” but was confident of a favorable outcome.
“I take this matter very seriously, but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisors,” Hunter Biden said in a statement issued by the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris transition team in December 2020.
Hunter Biden has acknowledged in the past that he made mistakes, but he’s insisted that he did not commit any crimes.
A report by The Washington Post in October that cited anonymous sources indicated that prosecutors believed there was enough evidence to charge Hunter Biden with tax crimes and allegations that the president’s son put false information on paperwork relating to his purchase of a handgun.
President Joe Biden was asked in an interview on MSNBC in early May how his presidency would be impacted if his son were charged.
“It impacts my presidency by making me feel proud of him,” the president said in the interview.
The president also said he believes his “son has done nothing wrong.”
Michael Clements contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
