Hunter Biden contends that his decision to distance himself from his 7-year-old daughter, Marine Joan Roberts, is justified since he never agreed to be part of her life, as highlighted in a recent legal document.
The 55-year-old Biden argued in court filings that the Arkansas child support case involving his daughter should remain closed since he and her mother reached a settlement in 2023.
However, Roberts has claimed that Hunter should face jail time for not fulfilling his obligations, citing his lack of cooperation regarding negotiations with the Navy and the decline in value of his work following his father’s presidency.
Additionally, Roberts is pushing for an increase in child support payments.
Biden’s attorney, Brent Langdon, stated that the current order does not mandate communication between parents and children, so any failure to do so shouldn’t lead to contempt charges.
Hunter, the only living son of former President Joe Biden, has five children—three with his ex-wife Kathleen Buhl and one with his current wife Melissa Cohen.
The documents reveal Hunter’s stance that he never set a deadline for delivering his paintings to the Navy. Langdon further argued that the absence of paintings does not constitute a violation of the order, as long as they are designated for the child.
Roberts and Biden settled their legal dispute in June 2023, which involved a drop in Roberts’ monthly support request from $20,000 to $5,000. At that time, there was an agreement that Hunter would either gift a painting to his daughter or share proceeds from its sale.
Since then, Hunter has expressed concern that his artwork has failed to sell and that current prices are significantly lower than before.
In a striking statement made earlier, Roberts criticized Hunter for “ghosting” their daughter and noted that she is starting to understand the stark differences in lifestyle between her and her half-brother.
Roberts’ legal team previously referred to Marine as MC1, asserting that while no one can compel Hunter to be a good father, the court has a responsibility to provide MC1 with an equal support level to that of her half-brother.
Throughout the support lawsuit, Roberts and her representatives emphasized that their actions were perceived as efforts to shame Hunter and create publicity around his private issues. Langdon, in his latest filing, dismissed any claims regarding Navy’s well-being or her relationship with her father as irrelevant.
No immediate comments were received from Roberts’ legal team regarding the latest developments.
