Davis v. Henderson (Mississippi 2020)

A child’s clear and extreme actions may be grounds to end child support. As part of ongoing post-divorce litigation, the father filed a motion to terminate his child support obligation to his oldest child, who refused to have contact with him. In the final order, the chancery court granted the request. The mother appealed the termination of support. The appellate court reversed. The evidence in the record showed the child’s refusal to see his father stemmed from the father’s abuse of the child and lack of interest. The child described an event of physical abuse and witnessed the father abuse his sibling. The father didn’t attend the child activities such as band concerts and football games. The father’s actions contributed to the estrangement. The appellate court reversed and remanded for further action.