Blog Posts in January, 2015

Some Unknowns About Divorce

Divorce brings up a lot of emotions like fear and anger. But what’s most surprising is the stuff that you don’t expect from going through the divorce process. Here are some things you’d never expect – from someone who’s on the “other side.” The Unknowns of Divorce Here are some things you might not expect from your divorce: Even if you’re the one who initiated the divorce, it’s still totally ...

Fix a Broken Relationship with a Marriage?

It’s not an uncommon trend: a marriage that ends in divorce just months later. And while it’s not unusual, you can’t help but ask, “what happened?” Turns out there are numerous reasons for why some marriages wind up in divorce in the first year. Putting a Marriage Band-aid on a Broken Relationship According to Terri Orbuch, therapist and author of the book Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps to a ...

Pete Wentz Opens Up About Divorce

Fall Out Boy member Pete Wentz is opening up about his 2011 divorce from Ashlee Simpson. Marriage and Divorce Wentz, 35, and Simpson, 30, were married in 2008. Three years later they decided to divorce. “I thought it was a forever thing,” Wentz said in an interview with Howard Stren. “I’m not the kind of guy … My parents have been married, I think, 35 years. Forty years, this year, maybe? But no, ...

Dempsey Divorce

Patrick Dempsey’s wife of fifteen years has filed for divorce. Divorce – Irreconcilable Differences According to court documents, the Grey’s Anatomy star’s wife, Jillian Fink, was first to file for divorce on January 21. She is citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their dissolution of marriage, as well as seeking spousal support and joint custody of their three kids. The couple ...

Moore and Adams End Marriage

After being married for six years, singers Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams are ending their marriage. Ending Marriage The two were married in 2009 in Savannah, Georgia. “Mandy Moore and Ryan Adams have mutually decided to end their marriage,” a rep for Moore told People magazine. “It is a respectful, amicable parting of ways and both Mandy and Ryan are asking for media to respect their privacy at this ...

Cannon Divorce's Carey

Nick Cannon officially filed for divorce from wife Mariah Carey on December 12. Divorce Papers Filed TMZ reported Friday that Cannon filed divorce papers days prior to Carey’s performance at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting. Allegedly, the singer missed a pre-taping for the event because she was in the middle of working out the agreement with her lawyer. Separated Since August The ...

Divorce? Or Just Stay Separated

For some couples, legal separation, instead of divorce, just makes sense. John Frost: An Example John Frost and his wife were been unhappily married when his company relocated him from Virginia to Tennesse in 2000. After asking what would happen next, if she would follow him or would they divorce, they both realized that it just made sense for him to leave her behind. And, “After a few months,” ...

Cohabitation and Alimony

“Cohabitation” means that a couple is living together in a manner that bears resemblance to marriage, when it comes to financial, social, and sexual interdependencies. When looking at it through the lens of family law, “cohabitation” can mean an argument and potentially jeopardizing an alimony obligation. If the spouse that is receiving alimony enters into such a relationship the question of ...

Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs Divorced

Though Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs have been separated for a year, the two actors have just finalized their divorce. December 2013 Split Menzel and Diggs met during the original Broadway production of “Rent” in 1996. But after ten years of marriage, the couple decided to legally separate in December of 2013. A year later, it looks like the couple has quietly finalized their divorce. Diggs filed a ...

Taping Confession Might Cost Right to Marital Estate

When Faye Grant taped Stephen Collins’ confession to child molestation it might have cost her the right to his money in their much-publicized divorce. Decision to Record The Los Angeles court judge presiding over the couple’s divorce proceedings will need to address a recently filed statement by Collins’s attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan. The statement claims the actress jeopardized her stake in the ...

New Year, New Divorce

January is a hot time for divorce filings. It seems with the end of the holidays come the end of a lot of marriages. If you’re one of the people who’ve decided to ring in the new-year with a divorce, here are some things to consider before filing, or even bringing up the “divorce conversation.” Compile All Key Documents Once a divorce is initiated, for whatever reason, it can be difficult to get ...

Giada Divorces Husband

Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis is divorcing from fashion designer Todd Thompson, her husband of 11 years. The two married in May 2003. They have one daughter together, Jade Marie 6. Divorce Announcement “After an amicable separation since July, Todd and I have decided to end our marriage,” De Laurentiis,44, wrote on her Facebook page. “Although our decision to separate comes with a great deal ...

Chris Rock's Divorce

After more than 18 years of marriage, Chris Rock and Malaak Compton-Rock are getting divorced. The couple has experienced not only his rise to stardom, but also the births of their two daughters, Lola Simone, 12, and Zahra Savannah, 10. The Couple The couple met in 1994 when Rock, 49, crashed an awards show. They were married just two years later, on Nov. 23, 1996. “She’s changed me,” Rock told ...

Advice: Bringing up a Prenup

It’s often advised that before any marriage you sign a prenup. But how do you bring that up with your future spouse? Prenup Without the Stigma Prenuptial agreements, though once surrounded by stigma, no longer come with the assumption that you’re gonna take your guy for all he’s worth – especially if he’s worth a lot. The trend in couples marrying later on in life makes it only logical that both ...

Preparing for Your Full Child Custody Hearing

After you have petitioned for full child custody and have received your child custody case hearing date, you will want to do the next things to prepare for your case to be heard. Preparing for Your Full Child Custody Hearing Serve the other parent with a notice that you have filed a petition for a full child custody. If you are working with a family law attorney (and it is advised you do so for ...

Filing for Full Child Custody

Full child custody, also known as sole custody, means that all of the parental rights are assigned to one parent. There are two kinds of “sole” custody: sole physical custody (the child lives with the parent) and sole legal custody (the parent has a legal right to make decisions for the child). Usually when people file for sole custody (rather than joint custody) it is because they see the other ...

Community Property Laws v. Equitable Property

Every state in the US has a different set of divorce laws that pertains to distributing assets between spouses. Because of this, divorces happening in California and in Massachusetts will have very different financial settlement outcomes. “Community Property” laws v. “Equitable Property” California, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Washington, and Wisconsin are “community ...

Summary Dissolution is a Simplified Divorce

For couples that qualify, California offers a simplified divorce process called a summary dissolution. Summary Dissolution Summary dissolution is the most cost-effective way to get divorced in California. The couple is required to file less paperwork and is only required to pay one filing fee because they jointly file the same petition. But a summary dissolution will not expedite a divorce beyond ...

Property and Divorce

The property portion of a divorce or legal separation can be complicated. You should consider talking to a lawyer before filing your papers, especially if you have anything of value or if you have significant debt. You may just need to hire a lawyer to take on the property portion of the divorce, rather than taking on the entire divorce or separation. Here’s some basic information about California ...

Early Cohabitation = Divorce?

Research has proven that the older people are when they marry or decide to live together, the better their chances are for avoiding divorce. Does Early Cohabitation Mean Divorce? Does moving in with your boyfriend or girlfriend prior to marriage mean divorce? A study from the Council on Contemporary Families says no. But while moving in before marriage might not make you an automatic divorcee down ...