Child Support Issues Prevent Musician from Moving Ahead with UN Work

A contentious dispute over child support is costing a Grammy Award-winning artist his chance to work with the United Nations on an important cause.

According to the NY Daily News, rapper Praskazrel Michel, known as “Pras,’ is waiting for the legal system to run its course in a child support case involving Angela Severiano, the mother of his son, Landon. Severiano reportedly gave birth to the child after the pair had a brief fling in early 2010. Although the issues are now being resolved in court, the public dispute is having an impact on Pras’s work with the U.N. General Assembly.

Due to perceptions that he is a deadbeat dad, Pras will not be able to address the General Assembly on issues close to his heart — including energy efficiency and fighting poverty in Haiti. He has spoken to the assembly in the past, but his friends say he has now been removed from a pool of potential upcoming speakers, likely in an effort to avoid negative publicity.

Severiano is reportedly asking the court to increase Pras’s child support payments to $9,000 per month, up from about $3,100 a month now. Although the rapper did pay a lump sum of about $83,000 to cover child support back to when Landon was born, Severiano’s attorney says that she is still struggling to catch up due to a period of time in which Pras did not pay child support because of a dispute.

In issues like these, it can be difficult to determine who is in the right, but one thing is clear — this dispute appears to be having a negative impact on Pras’s ability to advocate for causes he truly cares about.

A difficult divorce may prevent you from exploring beneficial career, educational or other types of opportunities that could positively impact your professional and personal life. For the guidance and advice you need when going through a family law matter in New York, speak with a knowledgeable Long Island child custody lawyer with Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.