Wage garnishment can be ordered by a court when a defendant does not show up or is just ignoring previous court mandates such as child support and/or tax payments. These rules do not just apply to everyday people, celebrities are subject to these mandates as well. What happens when they ignore the court ruling?
DMX
In 2014, rapper DMX was taken to court by his ex-wife for unpaid child support payments and “other” expenses. The rapper had, what some would call, a failed album in 2012 (Undisputed), but he was still pulling in $15,000 per month in royalties. The judge ordered Universal Music Publishing to send those royalty checks to the ex-wife; $10,000 per month for child support and $5,000 per month for those “other” expenses.
Will Smith
Will had an extremely successful run in the late 80’s as a rapper. He won a Grammy. He earned a few million dollars. Unfortunately, he was 18 years old and apparently forgot to pay taxes on his earnings for a few years. The IRS took action against him and began repossessing assets. He reportedly owed about $2.8 million in tax payments. At the brink of bankruptcy, NBC signed him to star in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. Sources say the IRS garnished 70% of his wages for the first 3 years of the show.
Charlie Sheen
We are all aware of actor Charlie Sheen’s personal problems, but did you know his wages were garnished in 2011? This is one of the more interesting cases because he was not behind on payments. Sheen’s ex-wife took him to court to increase the child support payments to $55,000 per month because she stated that his spending habits were likely to leave him unable to make payments in the future. She won the case and a judge asked Warner Bros. to send money directly to the ex-wife.
Evander Holyfield
In 2012, the Georgia Department of Human Services went to court on behalf of Holyfield’s daughter. The former boxing champ racked up a bill of over $350,000 in missed payments and hadn’t made a payment at any time in the child’s 18-year life. The DHS asked the judge to order Holyfield to go to jail and garnish wages until the debt was paid.
Allen Iverson
In 2010, a jeweler sued Iverson for not paying a $375,000 bill. The judge ordered Iverson to pay it. Two years later, the former MVP had still not paid the bill and the jeweler took him to court again. This time, they asked for over $850,000 for the balance, fees, and interest. The judge ruled in their favor. Iverson still did not pay the bill. Fed up with Iverson’s inaction, the judge took control of one of Iverson’s accounts and began garnishing payments.
Money problems are not exclusive to celebrities. If you are having trouble making payments on your home, car, or any other asset/debt, you may have options. Contact Elias Dsouza to see what those options are so you can move on with your life and get back on track.
