Lawmaker fighting order raising child support

      Assemblyman Wendell Williams is fighting a court order that increased his child support payments and ordered him to pay $23,000 in overdue payments. The Las Vegas Democrat is arguing that he doesn't owe that much.
      Reporters were unable to listen to legal arguments over William's child support because his attorney, David Phillips, asked that a hearing held Monday be closed to the public.
      Phillips said it was in the "best interest of all parties" that the hearing be closed. "They don't need to have their personal business hashed out in the paper," he said.
      The attorney said it was his call, not Williams' request, to close the hearing. Senior Judge Carl Christensen agreed to close the proceedings.
      Williams's ex-wife, Debra Gray, obtained a court order March 19 requiring him to pay $23,000 in delinquent child support payments and increasing his monthly payments for his two children from $220 to $1,000. The interest owed on the $23,000 can be calculated one of two ways, and would either total $17,500 or $28,800.
      The support order was granted by Family Court Judge Gary Redmon after Phillips failed to show up for the March hearing.
      Afterward, the attorney filed a motion to reconsider the order and said he missed Williams' hearing because he was delayed in another case. His motion didn't say why he never filed a motion responding to the original child support motion filed by Las Vegas attorney Gloria Navarro
      In his motion to reconsider, Phillips argued that the $23,000 calculation was too high and didn't take into account the three and a half years that the two children lived with Williams from August 1991 to January 1994.
      Gray and Williams divorced 12 years ago. After making four months of payments, Williams stopped paying child support.
      Gray said she didn't seek the payment because she had married a mortgage banker and didn't need the money at the time. Now she is divorced again and is in danger of losing her home.
      Williams' response complained that Gray failed to acknowledge support he paid directly to her.
      Phillips also argued that there should be a six-year limit on the time Gray should be able to recover back support
      The attorneys attempted to reach an agreement Monday. After two hearings, however, they left Family Court without reaching a compromise. Christensen sat in for Redmon, who is attending the National Judicial College in Reno.
      Another hearing was set for next Monday, and Phillips said he would again ask that hearing be closed.