My question involves child support in the State of: NY
I came across some harder times so I stopped paying child support for the past 11 months. In the past, I have been very generous, giving ex a total of about $2.8 million over the past 15 years. Each year, up until now, I have paid about $50-60,000 in support directly to the mother, plus another $50,000 in tuition and other educational expenses. Ex takes me to court and we exchange financial disclosure affidavits. I get the surprise(s) of my life.
1.) She has blown through all the money I gave her and is deeply in debt. She has maxed out her credit cards, blown her credit rating, borrowed from friends and family. A total of $375,000 in debt.
2.) She is not working.
3.) When she was working, as far as I can tell, she maid $9,500 per year as an assistant curator at a museum in NYC. Is that even possible? She has an MBA and after the divorce went back to get a masters in the arts. I figured she wasn't earning a lot, but I figured maybe $50,000 per year. Earning $9,500 is just irresponsible.
4.) I have always wondered exactly how her finances worked, but now I realize that they don't work. Her one saving grace is that she bought a house as an investment property (no mortgage) for $700,000 but then (thinking she was some sort of design wunderkind) spent another $400,000 renovating it. I think she is stuck in mid-renovation and unable to afford to bring it to completion.
Ex claims I owe her $300,000 but that's not true. At most it is half that, and I actually have some interesting and meritorious defenses. In either case, even if she gets that amount from me, it goes straight out the door to pay her debts.
What to do?
Is there such a thing as bringing a contempt of court motion against her for neglect?
The way I see it, she is about to blow up. Then what? (FYI, she is moving for an upward and I am moving for a downward modification.)

