House of Delegates candidate defies court orders tied to divorceHouse of Delegates candidate defies court orders tied to divorce GOP candidate Tim Griffin defies Lynchburg court orders after canceling children's health insurance

CHARLOTTESVILLE - A candidate likely to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates has been defying multiple court orders for months, as he now owes thousands of dollars in fees and payments after canceling his own children's health insurance.

On multiple occasions, the Virginia court system has determined that Tim Griffin, a Republican running to represent the 53rd District, must pay his ex-wife and their two young children for health care coverage, spousal support and attorney fees.

One of those occasions was a Lynchburg Circuit Court order in November of 2021. Griffin appears to have canceled his children's health insurance two months later, and has repeatedly failed to make the payments ordered by the court.

The grand total has now eclipsed $33,000.

That's all according to court filings obtained by The Daily Progress, which Griffin is now trying to have sealed from public view.

In addition to his apparent disregard for the orders, the filings include witness testimony that indicate Griffin had at least one affair before he and his wife divorced in 2017.

A response from the Griffin campaign called him a proud father "actively involved in supporting and raising his children."

"Mr. Griffin has paid over $150,000 towards child support, children's health insurance, and spousal support in the last 5 years and has never missed a child support payment," reads a campaign statement made to The Daily Progress.

But filings show he canceled the insurance and has not paid for his children's health care in months.

A court order from August of 2022 says that Griffin failed to abide by a previous court order to "provide healthcare for the minor children." An itemized list of attorney fees indicates that his ex-wife Angelica Griffin was caught off guard by the cancellation. Ultimately, her attorney wrote a letter to Angelica Griffin's employer to get the children insured.

A separate exhibit shows that Tim Griffin was sent receipts for a $313 medical bill for one of his children. "This needs to be paid," his ex-wife wrote in a text message.

It appears Tim Griffin didn't pay the bill. But in the two preceding months, posts on his social media indicate he was vacationing at national parks and other attractions across the U.S., collecting postcards from Colorado to Texas to Nebraska to North Carolina.

After Angelica Griffin got her children insured at the cost of $230 per month, a judge ordered Tim Griffin to reimburse her for each monthly payment. He has not done so. A recent court filing claims he currently owes $3,910; that works out to 17 months of his children's health insurance that he has apparently declined to pay.

Additionally, a motion claims he owes nearly $9,500 in spousal support.

Two years ago, a court ordered Tim Griffin to make monthly payments of $1,100 for spousal support, a number determined in part because as a licensed attorney with a six-figure salary, he was making substantially more money than his ex-wife, who has primary custody of their children.

That same order required that he pay $10,000 for his ex-wife's attorney fees. That figure has now doubled to $20,500 after he appealed the court's decision and lost. He argued that he was not liable for the attorney fees, but the court of appeals disagreed, determining that two of his three arguments were "frivolous," meaning "having no basis in law or fact."

In repeatedly disregarding the court's orders, Tim Griffin has dragged out the legal battle, causing his ex-wife to take on substantial attorney fees.

He, however, pays little to nothing; as a licensed attorney, he is currently representing himself.

In early October, Angelica Griffin's counsel filed three motions, including one for an emergency hearing so that Tim Griffin would pay what's owed.

One of the motions describes his lack of compliance with the court's orders as "persistently blatant and condescendingly unapologetic." Her counsel has repeatedly argued that Tim Griffin regularly defies the court, whether it be his unwillingness to pay ordered fees or missing deadlines to submit discovery.

The court itself has noted these failures. In August of last year, the court issued an order "to avoid any contempt with regard to the Defendant's failure to pay the ordered attorney fees."

Essentially, Tim Griffin had missed the deadline to pay the attorney fees. But instead of holding him in contempt of court, the judge created a payment plan. Griffin would have to pay monthly installments of $500.

More than a year later, the payments have not been made.

In a recent motion, Angelica Griffin's counsel argues that Tim Griffin's "habitual, intentional and continued lack of compliance" has caused "unnecessary attorney fees and continued financial hardship for the Plaintiff and parties minor children."

Another asks that he be punished, whether it be via fines or incarceration.

A campaign finance report from June indicates that Griffin had money to pay at least some of what's owed: He donated more than $4,000 to Griffin for Virginia, his candidate campaign committee.

Running against Democrat Sam Soghor in a district that consistently and overwhelmingly elects Republicans, Griffin is likely to be elected to the House of Delegates on Election Day Tuesday. Once there, his responsibilities will include voting on family law, setting the rules for the very same issues he is currently fighting in court.

Some Republicans in the area have soured on Tim Griffin, raising concerns before and since the Republican nominating convention that he does not live in the 53rd District, which includes Amherst County and parts of Bedford and Nelson counties.

While his current voter registration indicates he lives in an apartment complex in Forest in Bedford County, that is a different address than the one he listed when he filed to run for office in March. Even then, it is not clear he actually lives at the new address. His name does not appear to be listed in the apartment building's electronic directory, and the property manager would not disclose to The Daily Progress whether or not the unit is currently leased.

His previous address was a garage not zoned for occupancy.

Questions about his residency have persisted in court.

During a child support case in November 2021, his then-attorney was unable to explain where Tim Griffin lived, saying his client often stayed with friends, went camping or rented hotel rooms.

"Well that's essentially being homeless," the judge responded. "This should not be very complicated to get a physical address."

Court testimony indicates Angelica Griffin herself was not sure where her ex-husband was living from one moment to the next. The matter was serious enough that a November 2021 court order includes a handwritten demand: "The father must provide the mother a residential address where the children will be staying 5 days before any visitation."

When previously contacted by The Daily Progress, Tim Griffin would not divulge where he lives.

He referenced that reporting in his motion to seal the court filings from the press and public. Stories in The Daily Progress and the Lynchburg News & Advance, he wrote, "falsely question Mr. Griffin's character, and reputation for truthfulness."

The filing does not expand on what he found to be "false" or "misleading" about the stories.

Kelly Cutler, Angelica Griffin's counsel, has objected to Tim Griffin's motion to seal the documents.

And at the most recent hearing on Wednesday, Cutler took issue with Tim Griffin's motion for continuation, claiming he needed more time to research her objection because he is in the process of starting a new law firm.

"He says he's busy and hasn't been able to do it," Cutler said. "I'm busy."

Both parties will have to return to circuit court to discuss the motion to seal at a later date.