Missouri court says father still owes ex-wife $12,969 despite $20,000 bankruptcy deal

A Missouri man who claimed that a $20,000 bankruptcy settlement had cleared his financial obligations to his former wife has been told that he still owes $12,969.85. An appeals court has overturned a lower court's decision that he had fulfilled his payment obligations under an earlier contempt judgment.The Missouri Court of Appeals Eastern District delivered the ruling on November 10, in a dispute between Patricia K. Fish and her former husband, Brian D. Fish. The court found that the lower court had wrongly counted payments Brian made before the bankruptcy settlement while calculating what remained unpaid.The dispute dates back to the couple's 2014 divorce. Patricia received sole legal and physical custody of their minor children. Brian was directed to pay monthly child support and contribute towards their medical, dental and educational expenses.The divorce court also made Brian responsible for four civil lawsuits involving allegations that he had forged Patricia's signature on financial documents. The cases carried potential liabilities of at least $1.95 million. He was ordered to protect Patricia from any financial losses arising from them.How the debt reached $243,780Patricia approached the court in 2016, alleging that Brian had failed to pay child support and his share of the children's expenses. She also accused him of violating their parenting plan and failing to protect her from the civil lawsuits.