Texas residents may be interested to learn that rapper DMX has been charged for failure to pay child support. The 44-year-old musician, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was taken into custody at his home in New York on Oct. 27. He was held for a contempt of court charge for allegedly failing to make $10,000 per month child support payments.

Simmons reportedly owes child support to his ex-wife and their four children. A judge issued the child support order in 2014, and Simmons is reportedly $400,000 behind on the payments. In July, Simmons was sentenced to six months in jail for failing to make the child support payments.

At his October court appearance, Simmons explained that he had several performances scheduled and that rapping was the only way that he could earn income. He said that if he received another jail sentence, he would have to cancel his performance dates, which would have a negative impact on his professional reputation. The judge allowed Simmons to be released on his own recognizance, and his next court date was scheduled for Nov. 18.

Parents who fail to make child support payments that were ordered by the court are sometimes sentenced to jail. Once out of jail, the parent may be expected to pay the back child support that they owe or risk being incarcerated again. If a parent is in a situation like this and cannot afford to make payments, a lawyer may be able to help to petition for a modification of the original child support order.

Source: USA Today, “Rapper DMX arrested for failure to pay child support,” Matt Coyne and Michael D’Onofrio, Oct. 28, 2015

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