Lawyers for Lunden Roberts are about to put Hunter Biden on the hot seat for a sworn deposition. Anything he says can and will be used against him when he goes in front of the judge in July. That’s a “show cause” hearing where Biden and his lawyers will get their last chance to give the court one good reason not to throw the well-heeled deadbeat dad into jail for contempt of court.
Hunter Biden to be deposed
Hunter Biden has been ordered to appear for a deposition in his Arkansas paternity case. Last September, he filed for a reduction in his agreed upon child support payments. While pleading poverty, Biden has been reluctant to show any evidence of his income or lack thereof, in support of his claim.
Judge Holly Meyer already entered it into the record that he “has the ability to pay.” It looks a whole lot like Biden will be spending at least six months in jail over it, possibly up to a year.
The deposition is a big deal because Hunter will be under oath. He either needs to answer the question or plead the fifth. Generally, depending on the jurisdiction, even if his lawyers “object” to the question, he still has to answer it. The objection gets noted. There are exceptions. No matter whether it’s legal or not, any refusal to answer isn’t going to look good.
The deposition of Hunter Biden today in Arkansas is interesting because it is not clear if he has previously gone under oath directly on his finances. https://t.co/hxumNjQ5QA This is why the effort to reduce child support could prove costly. https://t.co/pKkQprJXac
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) June 16, 2023
Especially when they ask him questions like how much do your paintings really sell for? Who’s buying them? What happened to the $5 million you got from Mykola Zlochevsky? How many shell companies do you own? What are their assets? Where did those assets come from? Why can’t you use some of those assets to pay your child support? Did you pay taxes on that money? The list goes on and on and on.
When Biden next appears in court, Mid-July, he faces sanctions. That’s like the judicial version of a speeding ticket for courtroom infractions. The penalties can be stiff. His high paid lawyers may be writing checks with a bunch of zeroes and the courthouse staff will be drinking gourmet coffee for years to come.
Hunter is facing two separate contempt charges. One comes with a penalty of six months or hand over the records, whichever comes first. The other is a flat six months. If so inclined, the judge could insist Biden serve the one to completion, then serve the other. He’s been on suicide watch for weeks.
Toss his case in the trash
Lawyers for Ms. Roberts have already requested the court dismiss the request to lower his payments. He owes $20,000 per month to their 4-year-old daughter Navy Joan. Since he hasn’t shown a single shred of evidence why he can’t afford it, that’s a reasonable request and the court is likely to grant it.
Also, Hunter has been fighting his daughter’s use of the Biden name. Those documents can be stricken from the record like they never existed and probably will. The judge already mentioned she’s leaning in that direction.
The big part of the hearing next month is the sanctions for contempt of court. Hunter is a lawyer so he knows full well that filing a “frivolous” lawsuit is one of the worst infractions. He filed suit claiming poverty and then refused to disclose his income.
Biden: "I have six grandchildren who I am crazy about."
Joe Biden has a seventh grandchild, Navy Joan, over whom Hunter Biden was just ordered to appear at an Arkansas contempt hearing in a paternity suit filed by her mother. pic.twitter.com/jyOIBrUhbm
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 27, 2023
How was he expecting to prevail with nothing to back up his claim? That’s frivolous on the face of it. When he jets into town on a private plane with a team of the highest paid lawyers in the land, it’s a little hard to plead poverty. He’s not even trying to prove his case.
Meanwhile, even though the DNA test proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that Hunter is the father of Navy Joan, his wealthy parents won’t even hang a stocking for the girl at Christmas.
Joe and Jill could cover Hunter’s responsibility until he gets back on his feet, since they have such faith in him. Instead, they play the role of deadbeat grandparents. C’mon Joe, shake loose a little of that $5 million YOU got from Mykola Zlochevsky. Hunter may have spent his 5 megabucks on crack and hookers but Joe certainly invested his in wiser ways.
