For some families, legal trouble seems to be always close at hand. Whether they be gossip-column mainstays or everyday people far from the halo of Hollywood flashbulbs, certain clans of siblings, couples, children, and exes often warrant log much more time in the courtroom than average.

The Lohan family, most famous for daughter Lindsay's frequent run-ins with police authorities, is unquestionably one of these families apparently dogged by legal trouble on a regular basis. Now, Michael Lohan, father of starlet and sometimes-actress Lindsey, is finding himself in a contentious Florida case of unpaid child support that stretches back nearly two decades and extends upward into the six-figure range.

Earlier this month Lohan and a former mistress reportedly reached an out-of-court agreement that will set up child support payments accounting for both the past and presently owed support of Lohan's 17-year-old daughter, who he fathered out of wedlock with the woman.

Lohan had at first denied his paternity under allegations from the woman, but DNA testing conducted late last year proved that he was, in fact, the father and thus responsible for years of back child support.

The terms of the agreement made between Lohan and the woman has been kept by and large private, however a 2009 Florida court filing for $316,720 in unpaid child support was reportedly tied to the woman. When pressed about the order, the woman revealed her plans to vacate the order by the month's end.

Unpaid child support can quickly pile up, and those parents who are forced to go without the financial support of their children's father or mother are put at a distinct disadvantage in their efforts to provide for their kids. With the help of an experienced family law attorney, parents' financial responsibilities can be better kept both clear and accounted for.

Source: Examiner.com, "Michael Lohan, Kristi Horn come to 'love child' support agreement," Michael Santo, Jan. 13, 2013