NY Appeals Court Orders New Hearing on Four‑Rosenbaum’s $500 Child‑Support Cap

Chelsea Four‑Rosenbaum, a former litigation attorney, was convicted in June 2024 on second‑degree kidnapping charges after she and her mother took their 2019‑born son from the family home in 2021 and kept him hidden for two months. She now faces a $500 child‑support cap that the New York Third Department Appeals Court has ordered to be reconsidered.

The original 2022 Family Court order pegged her weekly payment at $408.06, calculated from her 2020 earnings before incarceration. In 2023 she petitioned for a drastic reduction, arguing that her prison‑era income fell below the federal poverty line and that past unpaid arrears should be capped at $500, citing Section 413(1)(g).

Sullivan County Supreme Court partially agreed in February 2024, slashing future obligations to the statutory minimum of $25 per month but refused to limit arrears, citing a lack of explanation for her delayed request.

Judge Lisa Torres of the Third Department explained that the lower court had misapplied the law, treating the cap request as an attempt to erase existing debt rather than assessing income during the period when arrears accrued. She sent the case back to Sullivan County, instructing that the court examine income records from the months the debt piled up.

The next hearing is slated for September 12, when the court will decide whether Chelsea’s prison income qualifies for the $500 ceiling before finalizing the debt schedule.

For Chelsea, the outcome means that her 2019‑born son could still be in limbo, with his father, Alexander, awaiting a clear financial plan while the family watches the proceedings.