After weeks and weeks of speculation, Tristan ThompsonHe took to Instagram and confirmed the results of a paternity testing, revealing that he was the father. Maralee Nicks’ one-month-old son. This is after Thompson claimed that child support would not amount to much because he is technically unemployed. How much? WillThompson pays?
Thompson Wants To ‘Amicably’ Raise Son With Nichols
In the statement he posted on social media, Thompson wrote, “Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols. I am fully responsible for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son.”
Morghan Leia Richardson, the Matrimonial Partner with Davidoff Hutcher & Citron LLP in New York City, gave her best estimateFor how much the NBA star might end-up paying Nichols each monthly.
“In California, basic child support is owed until the child is 18, or 19-years-old if still in high school,” Richardson said. When asked how much of Thompson’s millions the baby is entitled to, she said that “all is fair game for calculating child support.”
“For awards where the parties earn extremely high incomes, such as Tristan, the court will plug the numbers into the support calculator, but also consider several other factors,” she continued. “One argument for a larger award would be to ensure that the child has the same or similar lifestyle in both homes.”
How will his other children impact payments to Nichols’?
Thompson is also father of True, Thompson’s daughter, whom he shares together with Khloe Kim Kardashian, and Prince, Thompson’s son, who he shares alongside Jordan Craig. Richardson says this could be a factor in the discussion about how much Thompson should pay Nichols.
“Because Tristan is paying support for other children, that will be a factor in calculating how much support he will pay for this child,” she explained. “Reports show that his income is about $10mil so based on that number, and the report that he’s paying $40k per month for his son, when I run the calculator, I get an estimate of $34k per month.”
“Usually when a parent is already paying support for another child, that amount reduces the available income to pay support to later children,” Richardson continued. “There is certainly an argument that he should pay less because he’s already supporting other children, but then again, why should this child be treated differently? It will largely depend on Tristan’s legal team and what they can present to a judge.”
When asked about how Thompson’s retirement would affect the child support payments, Richardson said, “Sports players have a limited career span, and he has 3 young children to support. I hope everyone involved in this effort will make sure that the money is set aside for the children. If he is injured or can no longer play, he may at some point seek a support reduction.”
