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.

Continue reading "Seal and Heidi Klum to Separate" »

On Friday, Vanessa Bryant, wife of the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, filed for divorce from the NBA star in Orange County, California. Citing irreconcilable differences, the filing comes 10 years after they married.

It's also eight years after Bryant was accused and charged with the rape of a 19-year-old hotel worker. Bryant, who admitted to having sex with the girl, denied assaulting her and never faced trial because the girl refused to testify. Following the accusation, Vanessa famously stayed by Bryant's side and was reportedly gifted with an 8-carat, $4 million diamond ring for supporting him.

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The son of Oscar-winning actor, Nicolas Cage, himself arrested for domestic violence this year, is facing domestic violence charges after getting into a tussle with his wife, not once, but two times. Earlier this month, Weston Cage, 20, and his new wife, Nikki Williams, attacked one another, with Williams allegedly cutting him with a bottle and punching him. Both were taken into custody and reportedly entered rehab following the incident.

But earlier this week, Weston was again arrested for attacking his pregnant wife. He was been charged with felony domestic violence and was held on $50,000 bail. Few details of the latest arrest are known; however, some media outlets have reported that Weston was taken to a hospital following the arrest because of self-inflicted injuries.

Continue reading "Legal Problems for Actor's Son" »

The second man to walk on the moon and Dancing with the Stars alum, Buzz Aldrin, is separating from his wife, Lois Driggs Cannon after 23 years of marriage. He and Driggs Cannon, his third wife, married on Valentine's Day, 1988. In his Los Angeles County divorce filing, Aldrin blames "irreconcilable differences" for their marriage's failure. He filed just two days after the couple separated.

Continue reading "Astronaut Divorcing" »

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" »

A Swedish study just released suggests a person's commute time increases the chances the person will separate or divorce by 40%. The results indicate a long commute is tougher on women and than men and is usually highest during the first few years of a commute.

New Yorkers seemed to have escaped the phenomenon, which is relatively new to Swedes: New Yorkers have the longest average commute in the US, but they also have one of the lowest divorce rates, suggesting other factors affect the deterioration of a marriage.

Continue reading "Long Commutes Lead to Divorce?" »

According to a new report released by the US Census Bureau, more Americans are waiting longer to get married, with many living together and others just getting choosier. In 2009, about 47% of women aged 25-29 have never married, almost double the 26% reported in 1986. The "most noticeable changes in marital patterns" is in the increase in the age of couples at their first marriage.

The youngest brides were most likely to be Hispanic, with only about 35% aged 25-29 reporting never marrying; black women were the least likely to marry between 25-29, with less than 30% reporting marrying.

Continue reading "US Couples Waiting Longer to Marry" »

Last month, Missouri lawmakers unanimously passed what is the first major overhaul of domestic violence laws in the state in four decades. Changes to the bill, which the House passed 138-0, and the Senate voted 33-0, followed most recommendations of the domestic violence task force, specially created by the attorney general's office.

Included among the bill's changes are that people seeking protection orders will no longer be charged filing fees, and judges will be able to customize terms of an order according to the situation.

Continue reading "Missouri Overhauls Domestic Violence Laws" »

Hollywood star and former California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his TV journalist wife, Maria Shriver, announced their separation on Monday after 25 years of marriage and 34 years together. According to rumors, their problems began in 2003 when Schwarzenegger decided to run for governor. Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family, gave up her successful job with NBC when he ran and stood by him amidst allegations of extramarital affairs.

It seems Shriver has been giving clues to the impending separation: in December, she told an interviewer that she didn't know Schwarzenegger would run for California's highest position until after he announced it on The Tonight Show; she also said, "I have no idea what 2011 will bring for me. But I will definitely be in a different place next year than I am today." Furthermore, she made a YouTube video in March asking for advice dealing with life's "transitions" and failed to wear her wedding ring. The couple have four kids who are said to support their mother's decision to leave their father.

Continue reading "Schwarzenegger to Terminate Marriage" »

Two state legislators from Texas, which only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman, are seeking to overturn a 2009 law that allows people to provide proof of their sex reassignment surgery in order to obtain a marriage license. One of the legislators, Sen. Tommy Williams of Houston, argues the law should conform with the state Constitution barring same-sex marriage.

Prior to the law's passage, county and district clerks had to rely on a 1999 appeals court ruling that states a person's sex is determined at birth and cannot be changed.

Continue reading "Transgender Marriage Rights in Legal Quagmire in Texas" »

The executive chairman of London-based Gulf Keystone Petroleum, Todd Kozel, has had his shares in the oil company frozen as he is engulfed in a bitter divorce battle with his wife, Ashley. According to filings with the Sarasota, Florida circuit court handling the matter, the Court has place an asset injunction on Kozel's 0.49% shareholding in the Iraq-focused oil and gas explorer. His 3.7 million shares are currently worth upwards of $10 million.

Kozel's wife alleges that he has additional GKP stock, worth up to $150 million, that he tucked away in trusts as part of "divorce planning." Her legal team estimates that she is entitled to as much as $100 million in a combination of assets and money.

Continue reading "Oil Company Boss Has Funds Frozen in Divorce Dispute" »

Earlier this week, the Colorado Senate addressed Senate Bill 244, which would repeal all crimes for which marital status is an element, including adultery and the crime of "promoting sexual immortality." The immortality crime is a class 2 misdemeanor, although adultery doesn't carry a criminal penalty.

In the last three years, the adultery and immortality charges have been filed fewer than twenty times, according to an analysis prepared for legislators.

Continue reading "Colorado to Address Crime of Adultery" »

The Miami Dolphins' Brandon Marshall, 27, was the victim of domestic violence last after he and his wife, Michi, stabbed him with a kitchen knife. Shortly after the incident on April 23, 2011, Marshall was transported to Broward General Hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair the wound to his abdomen. Meanwhile, Michi was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and bail was set at $7,500.

Domestic discord is not new to the couple. In 2009, when Marshall was still with the Denver Broncos, both he and Michi, who was his fiancee at the time, were both arrested on disorderly conduct charges after two police officers witnessed them kicking and punching one another outside of his Atlanta condominium. The charges were later dismissed.

Continue reading "Member of Miami Dolphins a Victim of Domestic Violence" »

Georgia's governor, Nathan Deal (R), has proposed that the state eliminate all state-funded programs designed to assist victims of domestic violence, as well as programs intended to fight domestic violence. In place of the state dollars, Georgia intends to finance these programs with $4.4 million in federal welfare money, money that's part of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

The US Department of Health and Human Services has raised questions over the plan, as have victims' rights groups, which argue that by funding shelters with TANF funds entirely, the shelters could jeopardize their ability to provide services to women without children. Childless women make up between 30 and 40% of all women seeking domestic violence services in Georgia.

Continue reading "Georgia to Eliminate State Funding of Domestic Violence Programs" »

Over two thousand people have been charged under a new domestic violence law in New York, which went into effect on November 11. Previously, strangulation or intentional choking had usually resulted in charges of harassment. Sean M. Byrne, acting Division of Criminal Justice Services commissioner, said the high number of arrests in less than four months reflects how police previously had found it difficult to find appropriate charges to file against attackers who placed their victims in chokeholds.

The new law consists of two felony counts, first-degree and second-degree strangulation, and the misdemeanor of obstructing breathing and blood circulation. Of the arrests made so far, 83% were for the misdemeanor.

Continue reading "Thousands Charged Under New York Domestic Violence Law" »