Joining Religious Commune Does Not Excuse Support Payments

In Shippen v. Shippen, (NC App., May 18, 2010), a North Carolina appellate court upheld a contempt finding against a husband who failed to pay child support and post-separation support to his wife. Shortly after the court ordered the support payments, husband John Lee Shippen joined the Twelve Tribes of Israel, a religious commune that prohibits its members from earning outside income. The court concluded that the fact the defendant's religious beliefs may be sincerely held is irrelevant to his obligation to pay alimony and support. Courthouse News Service today reports on the decision.