A long-running child support dispute involving Hunter Biden has taken a more confrontational turn, with the mother of his youngest child asking a court to consider jail time for alleged non-compliance.
Lunden Roberts, the mother of Biden's seven-year-old daughter, is no longer merely asking for financial compliance; she has filed a motion accusing him of repeatedly breaching the terms of their child support agreement.
The 34-year-old athlete and author has filed a motion urging a judge to incarcerate Biden, 55, until he stops his 'antics' and honours the terms of their hard-fought child support agreement.
According to the motion filed on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, Roberts is seeking a civil penalty that would see Biden held in the Independence County Detention Centre.
The reason? A perceived refusal to adhere to a 2023 settlement that was supposed to provide long-term security for their daughter, Navy Joan Roberts.
Shattered Promises: The Human Cost Of The Child Support Deal
For Navy, now seven, the dispute is not about legal terminology or 'civil penalties', it is about a father who has seemingly vanished. The motion describes a heartbreaking emotional trajectory for the young girl.
After a period where father and daughter appeared to be bonding through scheduled phone calls, Biden allegedly 'ghosted' his child in 2024. This withdrawal reportedly coincided with the release of Roberts' memoir, Out of the Shadows, a book she insists was neither disparaged nor derided by her former partner.
The emotional toll peaked at a recent family wedding. Navy, having realised her father would not be there to walk her down the aisle or share a dance, was reportedly left traumatised.
In a poignant revelation from the court documents, the young girl reportedly told her mother she 'could not wait to get to heaven' so she could finally 'be with her dad' who 'lives far away and is really busy'. For Roberts, this heartbreak is the direct result of Biden's failure to maintain the relationship he once claimed to value, having previously stated he lived in 'guilt and remorse' for his absence.
Financial Disparity: Seeking Justice For Navy Joan Roberts
The legal crux of the new motion lies in what Roberts calls Biden's 'antics' regarding the 2023 settlement. Under that deal, Roberts had made significant concessions: she dropped her demand for Navy to use the Biden surname and agreed to slash monthly support from $20,000 to $5,000.
In return, Biden was expected to provide the proceeds from a specific number of his paintings to a fund for the child.
However, Roberts now argues that Biden only responds to his obligations when a court forces his hand. She is calling for a total re-evaluation of the support levels, pointing to a 'significant change' in Biden's income and a glaring disparity in lifestyle between Navy and her half-brother, Beau.
'MC1 [Navy] has begun to realise that she does not have access to the same lifestyle as Mr Biden's other children,' the motion states, 'and that is not fair.'
As the court weighs the request for incarceration, the case stands as a stark example of how the 'dignity and authority' of the law is being tested by one of the world's most scrutinised families.
For Lunden Roberts, the goal is simple: ensuring her daughter is no longer the 'unacknowledged' grandchild, but a child with the same security and presence as any other Biden.
