Chris Brown, 29, now pays $5,000 a month in child support after a recent hearing with Nia Guzman, 35, her lawyer Lisa Bloom told People on Sept. 5. But Nia’s lawyer still thinks $5,000 is too measly for someone of Chris’s income level, who is fighting to hike it up to $18,336 per month, she told the outlet. And this is a realistic request, we’ve learned! California Family Law Attorney David T. Pisarra EXCLUSIVELY explains to HollywoodLife why the singer could be paying more in child support for Royalty, 4…but should he? Our law insider unpacks the debate. “Nia Guzman could get more money based on Chris Brown’s income and based on the fact that the court can order more money based on the guideline amounts,” David tells us. Nia’s lawyer used the same terminology, saying the over $18,000 amount was based on “a legally mandated guideline.” But that doesn’t make it mandatory, we’ve learned! “In cases like Chris and ultra-high earners, it is often argued that the guideline amount would be improper because it exceeds the needs of the child and it exceeds the needs of the mother. Therefore, we have to come up with what’s a realistically fair number.”
David reveals how a “fair number” is reached. “Nia is entitled to a certain percentage based on the time share that Chris has with Royalty and what income he is showing,” David continues. “Often we plug those numbers into a program called the DissoMaster. The DissoMaster looks at a number of factors including income, the number of children, health insurance, daycare, etc. and it spits out a number.” Then, David says why dishing out $18,000 a month gets complicated. “But when you have a situation like this, where $18,000 a month is the guideline amount, obviously it doesn’t take that much money to raise a four-year-old. So then the question becomes would this be a windfall to the mother, and in that case we look at it and say we want to deviate from the guidelines because it’s inappropriate and exceeds the needs of the child.”
The “I Don’t Die” rapper reportedly made a similar argument, allegedly saying, “providing a four-year-old with everything she demands could be harmful and is not in her best interest,” in legal papers that The Blast claimed to read. Still, Royalty’s mother is not being unreasonable. “Nia has grounds to ask for more money because the numbers are the numbers, and then it’s up to the judge to use their discretion of what’s really in the best interest of the child,” our attorney source, David, adds. “However, Chris has a solid argument also, because part of his parenting is he doesn’t want to spoil Royalty. He wants to provide for her and frankly, $5,000 a month after taxes is a heck of a lot of money to raise a four-year-old. Especially since Nia is capable, healthy, could and should be employed. There is no reason for Nia not to be working and self-supporting also.” But Nia is the trademark owner of Royalty Brown, a children’s clothing line, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Nia advertises a link to the retail website on her Instagram bio, which actively sells products. Her social media page also includes an email handle for CME Influencer Agency, based in Los Angeles.
David then ends by predicting the fate of Chris and Nia’s child support battle. “Court could order $18k a month or more to Chris’s baby momma. It depends on what the baby actually needs and his income also plays a role,” David reveals. “Five grand a month is a reasonable amount to raise a four year old, that is all tax fee income. Chris’s standard of living should match mom’s but that is absurd because he is traveling all the time.”