Hunter Biden Moves To Dismiss Contempt Motion, Says 'Ghosting' 7-Year-Old Is Legally Irrelevant

Hunter Biden's lawyers have asked an Arkansas court to dismiss a contempt motion filed by Lunden Roberts, arguing that his decision to stop communicating with their 7-year-old daughter is legally irrelevant because no court order required personal contact.

What the Filing Says

The filing, submitted in response to Roberts' Jan. 13 motion to reopen a 2019 paternity case, contends that Roberts has not shown Biden violated the terms of a 2023 settlement or that the court can treat the alleged "ghosting" as contempt. Attorney Davis Langdon wrote that the child's emotional state, the status of her relationship with Biden, and their private communications "are not relevant to contempt or modification of child support."

Hunter Biden, son of U.S. President Joe Biden, and his wife Melissa Cohen Biden, leave the J. Caleb Boggs Federal Building on June 7, 2024, in Wilmington, Delaware.(Getty Images)

"Specifically, the averments regarding the Child’s emotional state, her relationship with Defendant, and their communications and bonding … are not relevant to contempt or modification of child support," Langdon wrote.

Roberts' Allegations

Roberts says she reopened the case to hold Biden accountable for obligations agreed to in 2023 and to seek higher child support. In her motion, she alleges that Biden abruptly stopped scheduled calls with their daughter, Navy Joan Roberts, causing the child "emotional trauma." Roberts also claims Biden failed to deliver artwork that had been promised as part of the settlement, and that some pieces reportedly lost value after President Biden left office.

Roberts cites a specific incident in which the child was upset at a family wedding after realizing her father would not walk her down the aisle or participate in father-daughter traditions, which she says demonstrates the emotional impact of the lack of contact.

Lunden Roberts and her daughter holding a book she authored.

Biden's Response on Paintings and Support

Biden's lawyers stressed that the 2023 settlement did not impose a schedule requiring personal communication and that no explicit deadline for delivery of paintings was specified in the order. The filing notes that the settlement provided for certain paintings to be assigned to the child, and states that "as long as thirty paintings are assigned to the Child by Defendant, Defendant will have complied with the Order." It also says the child will be allowed to choose which paintings she wants by a specified (but not publicly disclosed) deadline.

On the financial claims, Langdon argued the court should not increase child support because Roberts has not demonstrated that Biden's financial circumstances have changed since the settlement. The 2023 agreement reportedly reduced monthly payments from $20,000 to $5,000 and allowed some payments to be satisfied with Biden's artwork.

Former President Joe Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, stand side-by-side.

Accusations and Next Steps

Biden's attorneys additionally accuse Roberts of bringing repeated public allegations "merely for the purpose of embarrassing Defendant and making a national spectacle of Defendant’s personal life." The dispute now turns on the court's interpretation of the 2023 settlement and whether Roberts has met the legal standard to reopen the paternity case and obtain contempt or modification relief.

The court will decide whether to dismiss Roberts' motion or allow further proceedings. Both sides have framed the case around the legal obligations spelled out in past agreements, with Roberts emphasizing the child's emotional welfare and Biden's team emphasizing legal technicalities around the settlement's terms.