Dennis Quaid Files To INCREASE His Monthly Child Support – Sort Of

Dennis Quaid is asking a judge to modify his child support obligations, but not in the way most people might expect.

Quaid has filed court papers seeking to increase the monthly child support he pays to his ex-wife Kimberly Quaid for their twins, Thomas and Zoe. At the same time, he is also asking the court to prevent that increase from becoming much larger than he believes is reasonable.

Under the terms of the former couple's 2018 divorce settlement, Quaid has been paying $13,750 per month in child support. That agreement also includes a clause tied to his annual income. If Quaid earns more than roughly $1.3 million in a year, his child support obligation can increase based on a percentage of the income above that threshold.

That provision has now become an issue because Quaid says he had an unusually strong 2019. In court documents, the actor reportedly disclosed that he earned more than $6 million last year. That would normally trigger the additional support formula in the divorce agreement and could result in a major increase in his monthly obligation.

Quaid is not arguing that his support should stay at the old number. Instead, he is asking the court to make what is known as a below-guideline child support order based on the reasonable needs of Thomas and Zoe. In plain English, Quaid appears to be saying that he accepts his payment should rise because his income rose, but he does not believe the formula should automatically produce an enormous increase simply because he had one very lucrative year.

The filing creates an unusual situation. Technically, Quaid is asking to pay more child support. Practically, he is also trying to avoid paying as much as the existing formula might require if applied strictly to his 2019 income.

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Quaid's strong year came from several entertainment projects. In addition to his Esurance commercial work, he appeared in the film "A Dog's Journey," starred in the Netflix holiday series "Merry Happy Whatever," and appeared in the third season of Amazon's "Goliath." Those projects helped push his income far above the $1.3 million threshold set in the divorce agreement.

Dennis and Kimberly finalized their divorce in 2018 after a long and stop-start split. They married in 2004 and welcomed twins in 2007. Their settlement gave Kimberly the larger share of custody and required Dennis to pay $13,750 per month in child support, along with a $2 million lump sum in spousal support and an additional $1 million to equalize the property division.

Now the question is how much of Quaid's unusually profitable 2019 should be reflected in his child support payments going forward. A judge will have to decide whether to apply the settlement formula strictly or approve a lower amount based on the children's actual needs.