Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog

An attorney for Laura Walsh, ex-wife of Tea Party darling and first-term US Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL), says the congressman is behind more than $100,000 in child-support payments. Ms. Walsh, who has returned to court numerous times since filing for divorce in 2002, argues Rep. Walsh has failed to meet his court-ordered child-support obligations, at times paying half of the ordered amount or nothing at all. Her ex-husband claimed he had no money and was unable to make payments as ordered.

She first became suspicious last year when Rep. Walsh made a $35,000 contribution to his own congressional campaign, contradicting his claims he was broke. Her attorney filed the Motion for Contempt and sought an Order to Show Cause. Cook County Circuit Judge Raul Vega agreed to issue show cause order, which will force Rep. Walsh to prove he doesn't owe the money or face being held in contempt.

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One of the stars of the Boston Red Sox team that finally broke the franchise's World Series Championship draught, Manny Ramirez, was arrested in Broward County, Florida on charges of domestic violence. The 39-year-old Dominican slugger, who retired in April following a second positive test for prohibited substances, spent the night in jail after Juliana, his once-estranged wife accused him hitting her in the face, which caused her to fall and hit her head into a bedpost.

At his Tuesday arraignment, bail was set at $2,500 and Ramirez was ordered to stay away from Juliana. When police arrived at the couple's Weston, FL home, Ramirez denied hitting her, claiming he was only holding her by the shoulders when she tried to move, and that caused her to hit her head.

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Grammy Award winning singer Chaka Khan has successfully petitioned to obtain guardianship of her 10-year-old granddaughter. In her petition, Khan argued the girl's mother has a "heavy involvement in drugs" and isn't capable of caring for the girl. Khan also says she has already "assumed on a day-to-day basis the role of the child's parent fulfilling both the child's physical and psychological needs for care and affection."

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William Flowers, who divorced his ex-wife, Lacey, in 2004, has lost his battle for primary custody of his 14-year-old son and 9-year-old twin daughters, arguing the Texas judge ruled against him because he's homophobic. Now Flowers, who married his husband, Jim Evans, in Connecticut last year, plans to appeal the decision and says it prevents them from having a normal family life.

And they're not the only people opposed to the decision. Loud protests were witnessed on the steps of Houston's civil courthouse last week when Judge Charley Prine of the 309th Court signed the child possession order. In the order, Prine wrote Flowers could never leave his kids without anyone they are not related to "by blood or adoption" without Ms. Flowers' consent.

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Under a plan proposed by an advisory committee appointed by the Kansas Supreme Court, parents will see an increase in child-support payments. The state last adjusted child support figures in 2008, and the changes have been designed to reflect higher costs associated with caring for children.

The committee, which is currently taking public comments on its proposals until October 24, says the payments would vary by age, with the biggest increases applying to those between 6 and 11.

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Mel Gibson, who has faced claims of domestic violence lodged by ex-lover Russian pianist Oksana Grigorieva, has come to an agreement over custody and child support of the 22-month-old child, Lucia, the two share. Although specific details of the custody agreement haven't been released, it's assumed Grigorieva will continue to have primary custody of their daughter.

And less than two weeks after they agreed to the child's custody, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter Lichtman announced Gibson will pay periodic payments to Grigorieva totaling $750,000 and establish a trust for their child.

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Stephen Goldsmith has just resigned as deputy mayor of New York City after he was arrested for domestic violence when an argument with his wife turned violent. The former mayor of Indianapolis, who faced wide criticism for failing to properly handle the snowstorm that shut down NYC over the Christmas holiday. Arrested on July 30 after his wife, Margaret, told Washington, DC-police Goldsmith smashed a phone and grabbed her when she tried to call them during the argument in which he shoved her into the kitchen counter.

At the time of the dispute, Margaret dug her nails into his arm, according to a report. But since Goldsmith spent two nights in jail, Margaret has back-pedaled, issuing a statement in which she denied she came to any physical harm and said there was no violence nor had the commission of a crime taken place.

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