Posts Tagged ‘divorce’

Oct 12, 2010

Ben Harper files for Divorce from Laura Dern

Ben Harper and Laura Dern, who had been together about 10 years, have recently parted ways.

Singer-songwriter Harper filed for divorce from his actress wife on October 8, citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to the celebrity news source TMZ.

Aug 20, 2010

Joe and Katherine Jackson to Divorce After 60 Years of Marriage

It looks like Michael Jackson’s parents Joe and Katherine are heading for divorce court after 60 years of marriage. The Jackson’s have been estranged for over five years ago, and Joe currently resides in an apartment in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Katherine Jackson, 80, has filed for the divorce. Rumors are circulating that Katherine blames Joe for Michael’s demise, and there have long been reports of abuse against all the Jackson children by Joe. “She’s been humiliated by him for too long. She’s absolutely livid. There’s no going back,” a source close to the Jackson family said. Katherine Jackson has filed for divorce twice during her long marriage. Both times she decided against finalizing the divorce primarily for religious reasons – as a Jehovah’s Witness she doesn’t believe in divorce.

Jul 28, 2010

Divorce Clustering – Are You at Risk?

The increased incidence of divorce among those whose friends or family are divorced.

According to a new study, reported by Tracy McVeigh in The Observer, divorce is catching:

The researchers have called it “divorce clustering” and say that a split up between immediate friends increases your own chances of getting divorced by 75%. The effect drops to 33% if the divorce is between friends of a friend, what the researchers call two degrees of separation, then disappears almost completely at three degrees of separation. It is not only the marital status of friends but also siblings and colleagues which has a significant effect on how long your own marriage might last. Breaking up will catch on among your friends, and the more divorcees you know, the higher your own chances of becoming one.

The research comes from sociologists and psychologists from three North American universities who have examined statistics from a group of individuals over a 32-year period. They looked at the effect of divorce among peer groups on an individual’s own risk of divorce and found a clear process of what the scientists called “social contagion.” The study was carried out by academics Rose McDermott at Brown University, James Fowler at the University of California and Nicholas Christakis at Harvard.

What Happens During a Divorce? Find Out in This California Divorce Time Line

Jul 22, 2010

Signs You Need to Find a New Divorce Lawyer

Firing your divorce lawyer is not as complicated as you might think. Just look at the divorce of Siohvaughn Wade, the estranged wife of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade. Siohvaughn has fired nine divorce lawyers in a little more than two years.

All joking aside, don’t take firing a divorce lawyer lightly. You should only do so if you are certain your attorney has negatively impacted your divorce case, and you are convinced things won’t get better with his or her representation.

Jun 25, 2010

Tax Tips for the Newly Divorced

Now that you are single again (or about to be single again), it’s time to take another look at your finances and the tax implications of your choices. The following tips make sure you follow the law and also help you to save money.

Filing a Tax Return

You will need to gather and copy several years’ worth of personal tax returns. If your spouse has a business, you will want to review those business returns even if you didn’t sign them. You need to have access to all information.

Jun 22, 2010

Children’s Safety and the Elkins Task Force

We previously introduced you to the Elkins Family Law Task Force, a committee established by the Judicial Counsel of California to improve the efficiency of the California Family Law Courts.  The Task Force set out to review the system as it is and has followed up with a series of recommendations for improvement.

Much of these improvements have to do with implementing “More effective child custody procedures for a better court experience for families and children” (from the Report to the Judicial Counsel). More specifically the Task Force seeks to:

• Improve educational programs and professional development opportunities for judicial officers to more effectively address the needs of California children.
• Improve funding for child custody mediation services that result in more time for mediators to work with families.
• Allow for confidential mediation sessions giving parents more freedom to speak openly.
• Make it easier for parents to communicate with the judge about their parenting plan (could include additional forms).
• Create better defined roles of child custody evaluators and investigators.
• Make it so courts can choose to allow a minor’s participation in a divorce on a case-by-case basis. If a child needs his or her own counsel, courts should monitor the bills and cap fees, if appropriate.
• Demand that Child Welfare Services expeditiously investigate all situations of alleged child abuse and neglect, even if a parent has not filed an action with the court.
• Put cases that include physical and sexual child abuse allegations on a fast track bringing in mediators, investigators, and judicial offers right away to ensure child safety.
• Reduce number of children interviews to one, which will minimize the child’s participation in the case.
• Create new legislation to allow the family court’s access to reports and information relating to investigations completed by California Protective Services that does not interfere with due process or privacy rights.

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