Hunter Biden has suffered a setback in his ongoing legal battle as a judge has rejected his legal team’s attempt to avoid an upcoming court appearance.
The son of President Joe Biden has been instructed to attend a hearing in Arkansas on Monday, as part of a child support and paternity case. Despite his lawyers’ efforts to keep him out of the courtroom, the judge has ruled that Biden must appear in person for a contempt hearing.
The case concerns allegations from a woman named Lunden Roberts, who claims that Biden owes her child support payments.
Court documents have already confirmed that Biden is the biological father of Roberts’ 4-year-old daughter, and he has agreed to pay retroactive child support dating back to 2018. The case has been closely watched due to Hunter’s high-profile status as the son of the US President.
The ongoing case between Hunter Biden and Lunden Roberts, which began in 2019, was recently reopened due to new motions filed by both parties. These included requests to modify child support payments, change the child’s last name to Biden, and require Hunter Biden to appear in person at the courthouse.
However, lawyers representing Hunter Biden attempted to keep their client out of the courtroom, requesting that he appear remotely via video or phone. Their request was denied by Independence County Circuit Judge Holly Meyer on Friday, who ordered that all parties must physically appear in court. Meyer also warned that all court orders would be enforced for all parties involved.
Hunter Biden’s attorney Brent Langdon argued that his client should be allowed to appear remotely, citing the logistical challenges, expenses, and media attention that an in-person hearing would create. Nevertheless, the judge dismissed these concerns.
The Arkansas case takes place alongside an ongoing federal investigation dating back to 2018, which is looking into whether Hunter Biden violated tax laws related to his business ventures, including work with foreign clients. Prosecutors have also considered charges related to Biden’s alleged false statements about his drug use on a gun application form.
The legal troubles surrounding Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, have sparked intense scrutiny and backlash from Republican critics. Prominent House Republicans have pledged to launch investigations into Hunter Biden’s business dealings, with some expressing dissatisfaction with the Department of Justice’s handling of the case. U.S. Attorney David Weiss, a Trump appointee, is leading the DOJ’s probe.
Despite the controversy, both President Biden and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland have made it clear that they will not interfere in the ongoing federal investigation.
On Thursday, Fox News published an article: “Biden again refuses to acknowledge Hunter’s out-of-wedlock daughter while speaking about grandchildren.” The article pointed out the president’s reference to his “six” grandchildren, without acknowledging the seventh grandchild, Roberts’ daughter.
Fox News has reported that Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden have made no public references to their out-of-wedlock granddaughter. Zach Parkinson, deputy communications director for the Republican National Committee, also highlighted the matter on Thursday through his Twitter account.
There's only three options here, none of which are good:
➡️Biden can't remember how many grandkids he actually has
➡️Biden knows and chooses to actively neglect his own grandchild
➡️Hunter hasn't told him/lied to him about the paternity test https://t.co/FIxCNTpIaB— Zach Parkinson (@AZachParkinson) April 27, 2023
“There’s only three options here, none of which are good: Biden can’t remember how many grandkids he actually has, Biden knows and chooses to actively neglect his own grandchild, Hunter hasn’t told him/lied to him about the paternity test,” Parkinson tweeted.
Jonathan Turley, a conservative attorney and professor at the George Washington University Law School, wrote in an opinion article for The Hill published on Saturday that “time is running out” for Hunter Biden.
“After years of delaying disclosures and admissions, Hunter could now be pushing to cap off the criminal side of the scandal before more information is released in Arkansas and Washington,” Turley wrote.
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OPINION: This article contains commentary which reflects the author's opinion.