Hunter Biden's display of a lavish lifestyle may compel him to pay increased child support to his former partner, Lunden Roberts, after previously claiming financial hardship to lower payments. The 56-year-old former First Son was ordered by an Arkansas judge on Thursday to provide tax records and financial details to resolve a prolonged dispute with Roberts, mother of his seven-year-old daughter, Navy.
Court Orders Financial Disclosure and Deposition
The judge also mandated that Biden sit for a sworn deposition with Roberts' attorneys as part of her effort to raise the current child support payments of $5,000 per month. Roberts' lawyer, Clint Lancaster, alleged during a hearing this week that Biden attempted to conceal his high-end lifestyle, asserting that his 'style of living is higher' than previously known, as reported by the New York Post.
Evidence of Wealth Cited
Lancaster, representing the former exotic dancer who met Biden at a Washington DC strip club in 2017, argued that Biden's California mansion 'overlooking the ocean' demonstrates his ability to provide more for their child. He also referenced Biden's international travel, expensive dining, and Nantucket vacations with his father, former President Joe Biden, as proof of ample financial resources.
Biden had previously claimed financial struggles when he agreed to the $5,000 monthly child support in 2023, even offering to give Navy his artwork to reduce the amount. In a prior attempt to lower payments, Biden stated he had 'no recollection' of meeting Roberts, until records from his infamous laptop revealed he employed her at his firm.
Biden's Defense
In response to Roberts' latest bid, Biden's attorney, Brent Langdon, stated that the 56-year-old still resides in the same home as during the 2023 settlement. 'I just don’t think going out to dinner is a support for modification of child support when you are already paying… at least double the amount, that under child support guidelines, you should be paying,' Langdon said in hearings this week.
The hearings concluded with the judge allowing Roberts to review Biden's recent tax records and ordering him to sit for a deposition. The 2023 case centered on Roberts' attempt to have Navy adopt the Biden surname, which Hunter opposed. Roberts initially demanded $20,000 monthly but settled for $5,000.
Renewed Legal Battle
Roberts reopened the case in January, arguing that her daughter recognizes she is financially worse off than Biden's other four children. She sought to hold Biden in contempt for failing to provide artwork, as per the settlement. In a callous response, Biden argued that he had no obligation to communicate with his daughter, stating, 'Any failure to communicate with the Child is not punishable by contempt, as the Order does not order Defendant to communicate with the Child.'
Biden also contended that his failure to hand over artwork—which once sold for up to $500,000 per piece before declining in value after his father left office—did not violate the order, as no specific delivery date was agreed. The judge rejected Roberts' contempt request, noting that Biden had sent 10 artworks to Navy, with 47 more in transfer. The judge added, 'Failure to communicate is not going to be grounds for contempt... Those are choices that Mr. Biden has made, and he is free to make.'
