Recently, former supermodel Linda Evangelista came back into the public's focus when she made the startling announcement that Francois Henri-Pinault, the husband of actress Salma Hayek and CEO of luxury fashion brand corporation PPRSA, was the father of her young son. She followed up that news with something that many consider even more shocking: she is asking a court to award her $46,000 per month in child support.

The request has resulted in no shortage of ridicule and outrage among members of the media and the general public. They may be right: although Evangelista's heyday as a supermodel is long gone, she is still reported to be worth some $8 million. It is unlikely that she needs the extra child support to ensure that her child is fed, sheltered, and has his other basic needs met.

However, Evangelista's wealth may have little or no bearing on the child support award. In New York, where Evangelista filed her motion, child support is not based on the wealth of one or both parents. Instead, in high income cases such as this, child support is based on the child's actual needs and what is required for the child to live an "appropriate" lifestyle (the court does not indicate what constitutes "appropriate" in such situations).

In the case of Brim v. Combs, an appellate court reversed a family court decision that based a child support award on the amount of support that the father was paying for a different child. The court said that the award should be based on the child's needs, not on the parent's resources.

In her motion, Evangelista stated that any child support she receives from Pinault would be used for a 24-hour nanny and driver service for the child. Because of her modeling career, which likely requires work in unusual locations at odd hours, a court may see the nanny and the driver as a reasonable request.

Source: Huffington Post, "Linda Evangelista's Stunning Support Demand," Evangeline Gomez, August 10, 2011