Hunter Biden is facing renewed outrage after once again signaling that his responsibility to his young daughter begins and ends with money — not with being a father.
In newly filed court papers, Hunter Biden, the 55-year-old son of former President Joe Biden argued that the long-running Arkansas child support case involving his daughter, Navy Joan Roberts, should remain closed following a settlement reached in 2023. Hunter’s filing insists the agreement resolved all outstanding issues and should not be reopened.
That stance comes as Navy’s mother, Lunden Roberts, 34, returned to court seeking enforcement of the deal and an increase in child support payments. In a sharply worded filing dated January 16, Roberts accused Hunter Biden of emotionally abandoning their daughter while continuing to fight over money.
🚨NEW: Mother of Hunter Biden’s child calls for his arrest after failing to uphold child support agreement.
Hunter Biden, who once drove a $200,000 Porsche and lived in a $20,000-a-month California mansion while his father was president, now not only fails to pay alimony but… pic.twitter.com/O414oDNfEO
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) January 16, 2026
Lunden Roberts and Hunter Biden formally closed the case in June 2023 after she agreed to drop her demand that Navy take the Biden family name — a major concession after years of litigation. As part of that agreement, Roberts also accepted a dramatic reduction in monthly child support, agreeing to $5,000 payments instead of the $20,000 she had previously sought.
The settlement also included a provision related to Hunter’s artwork. At the time, his paintings were selling for six-figure sums while his father was still in office. Under the agreement, Hunter Biden was supposed to give artwork to Navy or provide her with proceeds from any sales. Roberts now claims Hunter stalled until the value of his art collapsed.
Hunter has since complained in court filings that he can no longer sell his work and that his paintings now fetch only a fraction of what they once did. Roberts has argued that Hunter delayed transferring the artwork while its market value plunged.
In her January filing, Lunden Roberts accused Hunter Biden of “ghosting” their daughter entirely, saying he refuses to speak to her while the child has begun noticing stark differences between her life and that of her half-siblings. She described Hunter’s behavior as “classless” and emotionally damaging.
Roberts’ attorney argued that while the court cannot force Hunter to be a parent, it can ensure fairness. “It is axiomatic that no one can force Mr. Biden into being a good dad for MC1, but this court can make it so that MC1 has, at least, the same level of support as MC1’s younger half-brother,” her lawyer wrote, referring to Navy as MC1, or minor child one.
Hunter’s legal team rejected the contempt claims, arguing that the settlement never required him to maintain contact with the child. His attorney, Brent Langdon, wrote that “any failure to communicate with the Child is not punishable by contempt, as the Order does not order Defendant to communicate with the Child.”
Lunden Roberts tells Piers Morgan that Joe Biden still hasn’t reached out to his 5-year-old granddaughter https://t.co/3ISm4Are8Q pic.twitter.com/UO4DgQz8N9
— New York Post (@nypost) June 6, 2024
Navy was born in 2018 after a brief relationship between Hunter and Roberts. For years, Hunter Biden denied paternity, forcing Lunden Roberts to seek a DNA test. Even after paternity was confirmed, Hunter resisted public acknowledgment of the child and fought efforts to allow her to carry the Biden surname.
Hunter Biden’s baby mama calls for ex-first son to be arrested after failing to keep child support deal https://t.co/73mRvMf5IO pic.twitter.com/WyBwTedMks
— New York Post (@nypost) January 16, 2026
While former President Joe Biden later acknowledged Navy as his granddaughter, after intense online backlash of the child missing from any family gathering or Christmas stocking display, Hunter Biden himself has remained absent from her life. Court records show a consistent effort to limit obligations rather than build a relationship.
The dispute has also renewed scrutiny of Hunter Biden’s broader family life. He has five children — three with ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, one with his current wife Melissa Cohen, and Navy with Roberts — a contrast that has fueled criticism over his treatment of his youngest daughter.
As the case continues, the underlying issue remains deeply uncomfortable. A child has grown up watching her father live a very public life while being treated as a legal obligation rather than a daughter. And Hunter Biden, by his own arguments in court, appears determined to keep that line firmly drawn.
