California Divorce and Family Law

Stevie Wonder files for divorce

Stevie Wonder, 62, is ending his 11-year marriage to fashion designer Kai Millard Morris.

According to a report at www.tmz.com, the Saginaw-born Wonder filed for divorce Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court using his legal name: Stevland Morris.

In the documents, which reveal the couple has been separated since October 2009, Wonder cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of the couple's two sons:Kailand, 10, and Mandla, 7.

He reportedly stated in the papers that he will pay spousal and child support in an amount to be determined.

From the Detroit Free Press.

 

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Adrienne Maloof and Estranged Hubby Paul Nassif Have Prenup, but That Might Not Stop Fighting

Adrienne Maloof and Paul Nassif have legally separated and appear on the verge of calling it quits for good after 10 years of marriage. But if there's one thing they won't be fighting about, it's the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star's fortune.

That's because Adrienne and Paul have a prenup, E! News confirmed.

ven so, such a premarital agreement might not stop Nassif from going after the Bravo personality's bank account.

Already, things are getting testy between the former fun couple and their split has the makings of a nasty, drawn-out battle.

In his paperwork, Nassif requested joint physical custody of their three children—9-year-old Gavin and 6-year-old twins Christian and Colin. Maloof, however, wants primary custody of the kids, according to family insiders.

This report is from EOnline. Read it all here.

 

 

TomKat vs. Robsten: A comparative study

Two weeks ago, we all thought the divorce of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes was the biggest celebrity gossip story of the summer. Hands down, no question, right?

Then, like the stealthy vampires that they are, along come Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart with a cheating scandal and the seeming demise of their relationship, a romance that convinced a generation of (mostly) females that the things we read about in books can totally come true-true-true. . . at least kinda sort of.

The interest in these two stories demonstrates a bit of an age divide when it comes to celeb gossip. The Cruise/Holmes saga is one that, arguably, is of greater interest to the over-35 set, those who have watched Cruise marry and divorce three times during their adult lives and still remember when he was considered the ultimate symbol of male perfection. Some of those same people glance at the Pattinson/Stewart headlines and say, “Who honestly cares about these bland ‘Twilight’ actors?” Meanwhile, an infinite number of young Pattinson/Stewart fans breathlessly sift through every detail about cheating timelines and U-Haul trucks and make YouTube videos that demonstrate their emotional struggle with all this, suggesting that a lot of people care. A LOT.

Read it all at the Washington Post.

 

Kids Keeping the Peace When Parents Divorce

Today's New York Daily News has a headline that screams Madge's Lourdes Works a Miracle. No, Madonna's teenage daughter isn't healing the sick or parting the seas. According to the paper, what Lourdes has done is even more miraculous -- she's managed to make peace between divorcing duo Madonna and Guy Ritchie.

A source tells the paper that 14-year-old Lourdes came the couple begging, "Please don't be mean to each other." The teen told her mom and Guy that she wanted everything to be as friendly as possible. According to the source, Guy and Madonna have buried the hatchet and are making every effort to make things as civil as possible for the sake of the kids.

The fact that teenage Lourdes is managing to do what even divorce lawyers can't is a definite sign of the times, according to psychologist Cooper Lawrence. Cooper, author of "The Cult of Celebrity" tells momlogic, "It's different now than when we were kids. The way they parented us is different from the way parents raise kids today. Today, kids are involved in every family decision from what car are we going to buy to what kind of dog are we going to get. You can't have it both ways -- you can't expect the child to be involved in family decisions and then all of a sudden make a life changing decision and expect the child to have no say."

Cooper also adds that watching Lourdes take an active role in her parents' divorce sends a powerful message to other children of divorce. "Lourdes is a little girl who grew up with the paparazzi as part of her public life. She has a public image and it matters what she says and does. When she says be nice to one another it sends a different message, it's influential to other kids."

But even so, Cooper cautions about having children act as peace keepers in their parents divorce. She asks parents to be careful about their behavior and warns that children should never be put in a situation where they feel they need to step in to keep the peace. "The children have nothing to do with the divorce. When you put the kid in the middle you're screwing up your kid. It's cruel. Children learn from your behavior and how you treat people."

As a rule, Cooper tells momlogic that parents need to keep the arguments to themselves; no child should have to hear you badmouth, fight or yell at each other. "Some kids take this stuff personally. You don't want the kids to somehow think that the divorce is their fault -- and even if you say that it's not, if you continually bad mouth your ex to the child, you're sending the message that somehow the child is involved."

And above all, remember, although you want to be your child's friend, you are first and foremost a parent. Don't use this as an opportunity to talk about what went wrong in your relationship, that's not a conversation any parents should have with a child. Cooper explains, "Don't talk to the kids about the divorce except for conversations about their own feelings. You have to reassure them that it's going to be ok. Mommy and daddy might not love each other any more but we both love you."

From MomLogic.com.

Pads owner hires Goldman Sachs to help with sale

Padres owner John Moores has hired Goldman Sachs to search for a potential buyer as he goes through a divorce from his wife, Becky.

"Goldman will look at offers and make recommendations," Moores said in an e-mail Monday to The Associated Press. "I have been told that, because these are difficult economic times, I should be prepared for a wide range of interest and offers.

"Needless to say, San Diego is a very attractive place to own a baseball team," he said.

The hiring of Goldman Sachs was first reported by MLB.com.

The owner didn't say what percentage of the team would be up for sale.

John Moores, who made a fortune in computer software, bought a controlling stake in the Padres for approximately $80 million in 1994 from a 15-member group headed by TV producer Tom Werner. Werner later became a co-owner of the Boston Red Sox.

The Moores' reportedly own 90 percent of the team. Because of community property laws in California, Becky Moores shares 50 percent of that asset and must agree to any sale. Their daughter, Jennifer, owns five percent and the other five percent is owned by Glenn Doshay, a San Diego businessman, mlb.com reported.

The Padres are going through a salary dump in large part because of the divorce. They're trying to pare their player payroll from about $72 million last year to around $40 million this year.

San Diego, which lost 99 games last year, has tried unsuccessfully to trade ace Jake Peavy, who is due to make $11 million in 2009. San Diego shed $6.5 million by trading shortstop Khalil Greene to St. Louis and pulled a $4 million offer to all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman.

From USA Today.

Madonna Hires Divorce Lawyer?

Could the rumors be true? Is Madonna done with Guy Ritchie? According to UK's Holy Moly, Madge has reportedly hired Britain's toughest divorce lawyer, Nicholas Mostyn QC.

Madonna and Guy have been dodging breakup rumors for a while now so this isn't exactly shocking news but the odd twist it that the report claims Madge and Guy didn't have a pre-nup. Say what you will about Madonna, but she's one smart businesswoman. There is no way in hell she would get married without a pre-nup.

Apparently the couple has just "grown apart" over the years and "The adoption of David Banda attracted a huge wave of negative publicity, allegedly putting further strain on the relationship."

Madge met with Mostyn about 10 days ago to allegedly discuss the divorce proceedings. What do you guys think?
From Hollyscope.com.

The McGreeveys are talking settlement

James E. McGreevey and his estranged wife spent this morning in settlement talks, making a last minute attempt to resolve their bitter breakup on the day the divorce trial was to scheduled to begin, court officials said.

The settlement talks began at 9:30 a.m., broke for lunch at 1 p.m. and focused on the contentious issues fueling the very public feud between Dina Matos McGreevey and the former governor, said Sandra Thaler-Gerber, spokeswoman for the state Superior Court in Union County. The talks were scheduled to resume at 2 p.m.

"We are trying to see if there will be a settlement," Thaler-Gerber said.

The former governor was scheduled to testify today as part of the trial's custody phase, which is not open to the public.

But the settlement talks have superseded the start of the trial, Thaler-Gerber said.

"Everybody is hopeful. You want there to be a settlement," Thaler-Gerber said.

McGreevey is seeking to have 50-50 custody of Jacqueline, asking the judge to have the girl alternate weeks living with him in Plainfield and her mother in Springfield. Matos McGreevey has asked to continue the couple's current arrangement: She gets custody while he gets liberal visitation rights, including alternating weekends and some holidays.

In addition to the custody issue, Matos McGreevey wants alimony and support. McGreevey is paying $2,500 a month in support, but Matos McGreevey wants any permanent amount to be higher. McGreevey claims he has very little money, makes $50,000 a year, and is unlikely to make more because he is a seminary student aiming to be a priest.

Matos McGreevey is a fundraiser for Columbus Hospital Foundation and earns $82,000 a year.

Matos McGreevey also sued McGreevey for fraud for not revealing to her that he was gay before they married. Matos McGreevey wants $600,000 in damages for the year she did not live in the governor's mansion.

The McGreeveys married in October 2000. They publicly separated in November 2004 -- three months after McGreevey resigned as governor and announced to the world that he is gay and that he had an affair with a male aide.

McGreevey, 50, filed for divorce in February 2007 after a settlement agreement fell apart. Matos McGreevey, 41, lives in Springfield. McGreevey lives in Plainfield with his partner, Mark O'Donnell.

From the Newark Star Ledger.

Strahan divorce lawyer tells appeal court divorce ruling was "absurd"

Giants defensive end Michael Strahan has taken his messy divorce to a new venue.

He's asking a state appeals court to reduce the $14 million that a lower court ordered him to pay his ex-wife.

Michael Strahan's lawyer, Angelo Genova, argued that it was "absurd" for a court to award his ex-wife so much.

A prenuptial agreement called for her to receive half their joint assets and 20 percent of his earnings if they divorced. But Genova says Strahan should not be penalized because he did not set aside that amount.

The judges in Morristown questioned Jean Strahan's lawyers about whether her ex is paying too much.

Strahan was not in court Wednesday's appeal hearing, but his ex was.

More in Newsday.

Robin Williams wife files for divorce: agent

Robin Williams' wife has filed for divorce from the Oscar-winning actor after a 19-year marriage, a spokeswoman for the actor confirmed on Wednesday.

Marsha Garces Williams filed for divorce petition at a court in San Francisco on March 21 citing irreconcilable differences, reports said.

Williams' representative, Mara Buxbaum, confirmed the divorce in an email to AFP.

Garces, 51, and Williams, 56, married in 1989, shortly after the actor's divorce from his previous wife. The couple have two children, an 18-year-old daughter and a 16-year-old son.

Garces has worked as a producer on several of Williams films including "Jakob the Liar", "Patch Adams," and "Mrs. Doubtfire."

Williams won a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the 1997 film "Good Will Hunting" and has been nominated for an Academy Award for three other movies: "Good Morning Vietnam," "The Fisher King," and "Dead Poets Society."

Source: AFP.

Divorce costs former Beatle McCartney $48.7 million

A British court ordered former Beatle Paul McCartney on Monday to pay his estranged wife Heather Mills 24.3 million pounds ($48.7 million) after an acrimonious divorce battle.

The settlement was only a fifth of the sum she had sought but she still ended up with the equivalent of about $34,000 for each day of her four-year marriage to the pop icon.

Speaking after the judge's ruling, Mills said: "I am so glad it is over. It is an incredible result in the end.

"We are very, very pleased," she added. "I am so, so happy with it." McCartney declined to comment.

McCartney, 65, married the former model and charity campaigner Mills, 40, in 2002 but they separated four years later, blaming media intrusion into their private lives. They have a daughter, Beatrice, aged four.

Following one of the most bitter divorce battles in show business history, the couple failed to reach an agreement after six days in court last month, leaving the judge to set the final figure.

Mills criticized McCartney's lawyer Fiona Shackleton, accusing her of handling the case badly.

She said Shackleton, who also represented heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles in his divorce from Princess Diana, "has called me many, many names before even meeting me, when I was in a wheelchair."

Mills, who sacked her lawyer and represented herself in court, urged would-be divorcees to do the same. "You can be a litigating person," she said. "You'd save yourself a fortune."

Justice Hugh Bennett, giving details of the settlement, said: "She sought an award of almost 125 million pounds. Sir Paul proposed the wife should exit the marriage with assets of 15.8 million pounds inclusive of any lump sum award.

"The judgment decided that the husband should pay the wife a lump sum of 16.5 million pounds, which together with her assets of 7.8 million pounds means that she exits her marriage with total assets of 24.3 million pounds."

DAUGHTER

The split was fought out under a remorseless media spotlight with McCartney, a founder of the world's most famous pop group, pitted against the outspoken Mills, target of lurid tales in the press about her colorful past.

The court ruled that the judgment be made public, but stayed publication pending Mills' appeal against it being made public.

Mills, speaking to a phalanx of reporters on the steps of London's High Court, said she was appealing "because the judgment involves private secure matters of my daughter."

Referring to what their daughter would receive, Mills said: "Beatrice only gets 35,000 pounds a year. So obviously she's meant to travel B Class while her father travels A class, but obviously I will pay for that."

Asked if she now planned to move abroad, Mills said: "I can't leave England. I always wanted to keep my daughter near her father. Believe me if I tried to go, he would have an injunction on me in a second."

Source: Reuters.