Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, has been ordered by a judge to return to court in Arkansas next month to argue why he should not be held in contempt of court.
Biden, 53, is embroiled in an ongoing paternity and child support case with Batesville resident Lunden Roberts, who is the mother of his 4-year-old daughter.
Lunden's attorneys filed a motion for contempt on May 18, alleging that Biden's attorneys did not properly respond to all of the inquiries related to his income.
Independence County Circuit Judge Holly Meyer ruled that Biden must appear July 10 in a Batesville courtroom to respond to the motion. Meyer's order was filed Monday.
The case opened in 2019 and seemed resolved after a DNA test confirmed that Biden was the girl's biological father, but it was reopened after Biden requested that his monthly child support payment be reduced from the previously agreed-upon amount of $20,000. He is also contesting Roberts' desire to change his daughter's surname to Biden.
Roberts' defense team has alleged that Biden has not been forthcoming about his income in spite of the court's order to disclose everything in detail. The defense has stated that his latest responses were still too vague and is seeking civil and criminal contempt for Biden.
The judge stated in her order that Biden has been given notice that his ability to pay "is or may become a critical issue in the contempt proceeding."
She went on to state that Biden would have "an opportunity" at the July 10 hearing to respond to statements and questions about his financial status and that he will be required to "show cause" why he should not be held in contempt.
During a May 1 hearing, Meyer admonished Biden's attorneys and said playing a "cryptic type of ballgame" when it came to disclosing specific sources of income would not be allowed to continue.
Biden's attorneys promised compliance, but Roberts' attorney, Clinton Lancaster, in his May 18 motion, said he still has not received all of the information that the court ordered Biden to disclose.
In his filing, Lancaster said his client "seeks criminal contempt to, hopefully, instill in the defendant a course of corrective behavior that will cause the defendant to change his ways and become compliant in the future."
Biden requested a reduction in his child support payments due to a "substantial" change in his income in recent years, his attorneys have argued.
Lancaster said in court last month that Biden has continued to withhold information related to his overseas business ventures and art sales.
A trial date in the case has been set for July 24.