Judge approves settlement in Hunter Biden paternity case

In this Oct. 11, 2012, file photo, Hunter Biden waits for the start of the his father's, Vice President Joe Biden's, debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky. In 2014, then-Vice President Joe Biden was at the forefront of American diplomatic efforts to support Ukraine's fragile democratic government as it sought to fend off Russian aggression and root out corruption. 
 (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
In this Oct. 11, 2012, file photo, Hunter Biden waits for the start of the his father's, Vice President Joe Biden's, debate at Centre College in Danville, Ky. In 2014, then-Vice President Joe Biden was at the forefront of American diplomatic efforts to support Ukraine's fragile democratic government as it sought to fend off Russian aggression and root out corruption. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

A settlement in the paternity suit against Hunter Biden was approved Thursday, eliminating the need for him to appear in an Independence County courtroom today.

Circuit Judge Holly Meyer signed the three-page Final Agreed Order, which had been drafted by attorneys for Lunden Alexis Roberts and approved by Biden's attorney, Brent Langdon.

All outstanding issues have been addressed, according to Roberts' lead attorney, Clint Lancaster.

"The case is final and done," he wrote in a text message.

In an email, Langdon also portrayed the matter as all wrapped up.

"The Judge has approved the final order and the case has been resolved. There is no hearing [Friday]," he wrote.

Biden and Roberts are the parents of an Independence County toddler, referred to in court documents as Baby Doe. The couple met while Roberts, an Arkansas State University graduate, was living Washington, Lancaster has said. The baby was born in August 2018 and a paternity suit was filed in Independence County the following May.

Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, initially denied that the couple had ever had sex. A DNA test subsequently established, "with near scientific certainty,"that Biden was the child's father, the court eventually ruled.

Meyer had originally ordered Biden to attend a pretrial hearing in Batesville today, dismissing his claims that the trip might jeopardize his health by exposing him to the coronavirus.

Now, that is no longer necessary.

In addition to clearing the court docket, Meyer also dismissed, with prejudice, all the motions for contempt lodged against Biden.

The "essential terms" of the agreed order have been sealed and will be kept "in a secure location inaccessible by the public," along with related financial records that had previously been sealed by the court.

In the document filed Thursday, Biden's "income for child support purposes" has been redacted along with the amount of monthly child support he must provide.

Biden has also agreed to reimburse Roberts for the cost of their baby's health insurance, beginning on April 1.

In addition, he will pay Roberts an amount for her attorney's fees and costs by May 1.

The sums he is obligated to pay were omitted from the publicly available version of the court order.

Only the court, the court clerk and clerk's staff, the parties and their staff will have access to the unredacted order, the document stated.

If problems arise in the future, the Arkansas judiciary will be able to intervene.

The court "retains jurisdiction of the parties and the subject matter of this case for any further or additional orders that may be necessary or required in the future," the order states.

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