Hypocrisy Alert: Runestad Claims to Fight for Families but Turned his Back on His Own
Entry Overview: Despite being a self-appointed champion of families in Michigan Jim Runestad has a history of failing to meet his own obligations as a father. He gained notoriety in 2017 when he spearheaded a push to reform the state’s family court system that he claimed was biased against dads and creating a “fatherless generation.” However, court records show that Runestad failed to pay child support and had to be taken to court by his ex-wife on numerous occasions.
Key Facts:
Despite his rhetoric about families, State Senator Jim Runestad failed to pay his own child support
He was taken to court for unpaid support by his ex-wife in 2001 and 2005.
Runestad has introduced legislation that opponents claim would allow people like himself to get out of paying owed child support.
Why it Matters: It’s all about hypocrisy! Jim Runestad has built a legislative career on attempting to reform Michigan’s family court system. However, Runestad has a history of failure to pay child support. This type of double-standard politics sends the wrong message and proponents for reforming the state’s family court system should ask if Runestad is a good messenger when it comes to responsible parenting.
Full Entry: Senator Jim Runestad claims to support families as a legislator. However, newly unearthed court documents show that Runestad failed to pay his own obliged child support following his divorce - leaving his children without the support they were entitled to by law.
In 2001, after missing multiple weeks of child support, Jim Runestad’s ex-wife Amy Lynn Pajtas was forced to take Runestad to court to recoup more than $1,200 in owed child support payments and additional legal fees.
The situation repeated itself again in 2005, as Pajtas was again forced to take Runestad to court, after he missed weeks of payments. This time, the court threatened to garnish his wages if he failed to pay $583. Once again, we see another example of a politician who claims he supports families while skipping his own duties to his own family.
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