Dennis Rodman’s sentencing delayed
ORANGE — Dennis Rodman hasn’t rebounded from his personal and financial woes.
The former NBA star, whose loud parties once riled his Newport Beach neighbors, made an appearance Tuesday at the Lamoreaux Justice Center, where he faced possible jail time for unpaid spousal and child support.
However, the 50-year-old saw his sentencing moved to May 29, pending a court decision in which is his attorney, Linnea Willis, is seeking to vacate the ruling on four counts of contempt of court.
Commissioner Barry S. Michaelson, who presided over Tuesday’s case, said there will be no jail time at Rodman’s sentencing in May, and that community service would most likely be applied to one contempt of court charge.
The charges stemmed from four months of allegedly unpaid spousal and child support he owes to his most recent ex-wife, Michelle Rodman, 44, court documents show.
Rodman owes her $808,935 in child support and $51,441 in spousal support, according to the documents her attorney, Jack Kayajanian, filed on her behalf.
But Willis said that figure is based on an unjustified order, where Rodman was ordered to pay $50,000 a month based on Kayajanian’s estimate that he earned $30 million a year.
Michaelson threw out the $50,000 Rodman owed because he said it was an unreasonable amount.
Willis said she found evidence that Rodman made payments to his former wife during the months he was found in contempt.
“I will not make the same mistake as my opposing counsel, Mr. Kayajanian, in presuming how the court will sentence Dennis,” she said in a prepared statement. “We are, however, hopeful that it will not include jail time, as he has never been found in contempt previously, did not do any willful acts of misconduct, has paid support to the best of his ability, and in light of the additional evidence of payments submitted to the court.”
Rodman appeared in court in noticeably tamer apparel: a white blazer, black button-down shirt, Converse tennis shoes and a Chicago Bulls hat. His oft-dyed hair was a natural brown, and graying in the back.
Willis said Rodman continues to draw a six-figure salary.
However, in court documents filed March 2 on his behalf, his financial advisor Peggy Williams, who also goes by Peggy King, said that Rodman doesn’t have a bank account or any savings, and that he owes back taxes in excess of $350,000.
Willis told the Daily Pilot on Monday that Rodman owes closer to $100,000 in back taxes.
“To put it mildly, Dennis is broke,” Williams said in court documents. “This year, Dennis may only make $50,000 a year.”
Further complicating Rodman’s ability to earn income is his battle with alcoholism, according to Williams.
“His sickness impacts his ability to get work,” Williams said in the court documents. “This case, especially his wife filling for divorce, has put him on a binge that I have never seen before. He is extremely hurt and extremely sick. He is often unable to obtain work because of this sickness. And his sickness is getting increasingly worse.”
Although Rodman now lives in Miami, he said he still makes monthly visits to Orange County to visit his children, ages 9 and 10, that he had with Michelle Rodman.
Rodman said he and his former wife on Monday night ate dinner together with their children at an Outback Steakhouse.
Dennis and Michelle Rodman recently dissolved their marriage, according to Williams.
Initially Michelle Rodman filed for divorce in 2004, but the two tried to reconcile, the financial advisor said.
Michelle Rodman sought to dissolve the marriage again, and the two divorced just weeks ago, Williams said.
Michelle Rodman lives with the two children in Costa Mesa.
Of their relationship, Rodman told the Pilot that the dispute has “never been a hate thing. We’re not like that. It’s not a typical spousal support thing.” He added that she and him were “just trying to get it done.”
When Rodman lived in West Newport, local police made 80 visits to his Seashore Drive home, according to an article in the Los Angeles Times from the time.
One of the NBA’s top rebounders for many years, Rodman played for the Bulls, the Lakers and other teams.
Twitter: @lawilliams30