Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog

Singer Seal and his German model wife, Heidi Klum, have decided to separate after seven years of marriage. The couple, known for renewing their vows annually, have three children together, and were considered one of the more solid celebrity couplings.

News of their separation broke Sunday following rampant reports that Klum would file for divorce from Seal. In a joint statement, the couple said, "While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate.

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When Dusten Brown, an army soldier from Oklahoma, signed a document in 2009 agreeing to put up his newborn daughter for adoption, he did so without understanding what he was signing. Since then, Brown hired attorneys and fought for his daughter's return.

Under normal circumstances, Brown probably wouldn't have any recourse. But two years later, a South Carolina judge has agreed with his attorneys, who argue the 1978 federal law called the Indian Child Welfare Act applies to Brown's case.

Continue reading "OK Man Uses Federal Law to Regain Custody of Adopted Daughter" »

Just days before his Pittsburgh Steelers were set to face the Denver Broncos in an AFC Wild Card matchup, 23-year-old receiver, Antonio Brown, was sued for child custody in Miami, Florida. Brown, who shares 4-year-old son, Antonio, Jr., with Shameika Brailsford, has been accused of running off with the boy and refusing to return him.

Dismissing the allegations, Brown said, "My son is a happy kid. That's not something I'm worried about. My kid is here for a reason. I'm a good father. He's a happy kid if you've ever seen him."

Continue reading "Steelers' Receiver Facing Custody Suit As Playoffs Loom " »

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.

Continue reading "Tea Party Favorite Delinquent with Child-Support Payments" »

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.

Continue reading "Texas Gay Couple to Challenge Judge's Custody Ruling " »

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.

Continue reading "Gibson and Baby Momma Hash Out Custody, Child Support" »

Violent child custody battles aren't unique to the United States. In Jaipur, the capital city of the Indian state of Rajasthan known as the "Pink City", Pradeep Jain, who was engaged in a custody battle with his wife, killed four, including his wife, before committing suicide.

Described as educated, but short-tempered, a lawyer appointed to assist him with his long-term custody battle with his wife and in-laws said, "He used to keep to himself and won't speak if not spoken to. He used to flare up in a matter of seconds." The battle began soon after his 2006 marriage to Devali-woman, Suman.

Continue reading "Indian Child Custody Battle Leads to Murder" »

A Pennsylvania divorced dad of two boys has been ruled by a Bucks County judge to close down his blog criticizing his ex-wife and their on-going custody battles. Family Court Judge Diane Gibbons last month ordered Anthony Morelli, 42, to shut down thepsychoexwife.com, a blog he began in 2007, saying, "This is about children. You may say anything you would like to say. You may publish it. You may put it on a billboard. But you will not have your children, because that is abusive."

In response, Morelli has hired an attorney to appeal the ruling, arguing the decision violates his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. "In my view, the judge crossed the legal line, from determining custody to controlling [his] behavior. My client's actions are protected by the First Amendment," attorney Kevin Handy said. Morelli said he started the site not to "bash" his ex-wife, but the inflammatory style is to attract other people with similar problems. He claims about 200,000 people visited the site each month.

Continue reading "Man to Fight Order to Shut Down Blog About Ex" »

In what sounds like a scene from his television series, Homicide: Life on the Street, actor Daniel Baldwin--brother of Alec Baldwin--filed for divorce from his wife of four years because, as his divorce complaint alleges, she threatened to kill him. Joanne, according to Daniel, came into their bedroom one night earlier this month and informed him she'd watched a documentary on women who kill their husbands.

Baldwin says she then declared, "Now I know how to do it, I understand why they did it. You have been warned." Their daughter heard the remark and asked, "Is mommy going to kill us?" Joanne then punched him in the head, hit him in the face with a phone, slapped him, and pulled a knife on him. After obtaining a temporary restraining order, Baldwin said, "Due to recent events in our home and for the safety of my children and myself, I have made this decision."

Continue reading "Television Star Files for Divorce, Says Wife Attacked Him" »

In what Illinois lawmakers think is a first, a Chicago woman has adopted her own children under an Illinois law passed in 2009. The law, passed in 2009, gives biological parents who've lost custody of their children the ability to rehabilitate themselves and adopt their children if the adoptive parent is a blood relative and passes away.

The law's inspiration, Yolanda Miller, 49, adopted four of her 11 biological children, who range in age from their late teens to mid-20s. Ten of her children were born while she was addicted to crack cocaine, and her mother adopted them at birth. In 1997, kicked the addiction. She and her family, to whom Miller lived next door, moved to a different neighborhood, and Miller took on an active parenting role. In 2005, Miller's mother died. Miller had her children move in with her, but since she wasn't their legal guardian, she "knew anybody at any time could take them away from me."

Continue reading "Illinois Woman Regains Custody of Adopted Children" »

Earlier this month, Melanie Paige Smith, one the multiple women with whom NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens has a child, filed contempt papers, arguing the player has failed to remain current on his $5,000 per month child support obligation. At the time of the filing, during which a July 26 hearing date was set, her attorney, Georgia's Randall Kessler, said he hoped to resolve the matter without a hearing.

It looks like Kessler got his wish. The wide receiver, most recently with the Cincinnati Bengals, but because of free agency and the pending NFL lockout can't sign with a team, is reportedly current with the payments. Earlier this week, the Associated Press said the contempt motion filed against Owens' was dismissed because he made the payments.

Continue reading "T.O. Resolves Child Support Delinquincy" »

Supermodel Linda Evangelista, who has graced catwalks and magazine covers galore, has revealed that father to her son, four-year-old Augustin James, is wealthy businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, husband of Salma Hayek. Evangelista always claimed Augustin's father was a New York-area architect, despite ending a five-month relationship with the 49-year-old Frenchman just before he started dating Hayek and she revealed her pregnancy.

Now now she has filed a petition in court seeking an unspecified amount in child support. Evangelista filed in New York, and New York law states that a non-custodial parent pay 17% of income as child support.

Continue reading "Supermodel Reveals Baby Daddy is Billionaire" »

New research in the June issue of the American Sociological Review suggests young children of divorce are more likely to not only experience anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem and sadness, but also to have long-lasting effects. Specifically, the study suggests children's interpersonal skills and math test scores are negatively impacted by divorce.

Although they don't seem to "experience detrimental setbacks in the pre-divorce period," according to study author Hyun Sik Kim, "there is no sign that children of divorce catch up with this counterparts, either."

Continue reading "Divorce Impacts Kids' Math Scores, Friendships" »

During a routine child custody exchange, 25-year-old Christopher Erdman allegedly shot and killed Sharon Lawrence, the mother of his children. Erdman has been charged with murder for shooting 25-year-old Lawrence four times in a Milton, Georgia parking lot near a bank branch.

Police say their two children, who witnessed the shooting, were taken by Erdman to a family member's home before he took Lawrence to the hospital, where authorities arrested him. Relatives say the couple used to live together.

Continue reading "Woman Killed During Custody Exchange" »