A Florida judge ruled that Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera must support the two children he fathered out of wedlock the same way he does the children born to his wife, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.
FILE PHOTO: Mar 14, 2019; Lakeland, FL, USA; Detroit Tigers infielder Miguel Cabrera (24) looks on prior to the game against the Boston Red Sox at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
The decision is the latest turn in an 18-month battle between Cabrera and Belkis Rodriguez of Orlando, Fla. In her 2017 child support lawsuit, she contended her children deserve to have the same lifestyle his other three children have.
Orange County Circuit Court Judge Alan Apte agreed with Rodriguez.
“The court finds that the parties’ children should have the same opportunities as the opportunities that the father provides to his three other children that he and his wife share,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
“The court finds this to be a ‘good fortune’ case … and the children’s right to benefit from his good fortune,” Apte wrote.
Under the order, Cabrera must give Rodriguez $20,000 per month in unallocated support, which means she can spend the money however she wants. Additionally, he must pay for specific expenses, such as private school, medical care and extracurricular activities.
Cabrera also must provide: annual passes to Walt Disney World and other local amusements; a $5 million life insurance policy with both children named as beneficiaries until the youngest one turns 18; a check to pay off the mortgage of Rodriguez’s nearly $1 million house; and back child support of nearly $90,000.
A final hearing on the order, which Cabrera can appeal, is scheduled for April 30.
Cabrera, 36, is about halfway through an eight-year, $248 million contract extension he signed in 2014. Spotrac estimated his career earnings to date at nearly $277 million. He will make $30 million this season.
—Field Level Media