Divorce Blame

Feb 11, 2013 by

Although someone usually gets blamed whenever a marriage fails, suing your local church congregation for your divorce is definitely an unusual circumstance. Whenever a divorce occurs, someone is likely to be blamed for causing it. That fact is simply human nature, and it is hard to imagine that no one would receive at least a small bit of blame and that everyone would be equally happy and completely guilt-free when a close personal relationship is finally and legally terminated. It is almost...

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Divorce in the Military

Aug 8, 2012 by

If you or someone you know is in the service and planning to get a divorce, you should know that military divorce proceedings differ from divorces taking place between two civilian parties. When one or both parties are of active duty military status, including Guard and Reserves, and retired military, there will be additional dispositions of the divorce decree which will be taken into consideration. It is vitally important that you educate yourself in military divorce law and its effects on...

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Do You Live in a Community Property State?

Aug 8, 2012 by

One very important aspect of divorce law is the concept of community property. The premise behind community property is that property a couple acquires during their marriage is considered to be jointly owned by both spouses. In the event of a divorce, this property is divided between the spouses. Many states do not recognize the concept of community property in their divorce laws, and in the states that do, the way that a court divides community property is determined by state law. In...

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Gay Activists Call for Immediate Response Following Decision on Prop 8

Aug 8, 2012 by

“Win or lose, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community & our allies must respond immediately to the forthcoming California Supreme Court decision on whether to invalidate Proposition 8,” says veteran activist Robin Tyler, who, with her wife, Diane Olson, were the first plaintiffs in the original landmark lawsuit to win marriage for same-sex couples in California. Tyler & Olson are also petitioners in the current legal challenge against Proposition...

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Iranian Divorce Rate May Hit 100%

Aug 8, 2012 by

Although Iran is not found on current lists of countries with high divorce rates, it seems the country may possibly have the highest divorce rate in the world today. A study released by a research group at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran earlier this month reports that the divorce rate in Iran could be as high as 90% among couples who marry by choice as opposed to more traditional arranged marriages. The split between traditional arranged marriages and more modern “love”...

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43 Million Is Not Enough

Aug 8, 2012 by

Marie Douglas-David, a 36-year-old Swedish countess says $43 million isn’t enough of a divorce settlement. She wants $100 million from her 67-year-old husband  of only six years, George David. David, Chairman of United Technologies Corp, is worth an estimated $300 million but his estranged wife says she has no assets and no job since she quit her position to become his wife. Her basis for asking for the exorbitant amount? Douglas-David says she spends in one week what the average...

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‘We Need Our Daddy, Too’: A Grandmother’s Story of Her Son’s Divorce

Aug 8, 2012 by

We read a lot of statistics about divorce, but numbers don’t even begin to explain how difficult it can be for the children. That’s why Karen P. Ronald wrote “We Need Our Daddy, Too” (published by iUniverse — http://www.iuniverse.com) the true story of her experience with her son’s divorce and custody battle, as seen through the eyes of a caring and loving grandmother. Having had a large part of her life consumed by her new grandchildren early on, Ronald...

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National Divorce Rates Falling

Aug 8, 2012 by

The latest report from the U.S. Census Bureau’s attempts to take the nation’s pulse through examining the hard data gleaned from that door-to-door effort contains some very interesting numbers related to marriage and divorce in the United States. It looks like the last fifteen years of endless reams of professional papers, along with reality TV shows and on-the-air talk show therapists weighing in on the subject may finally be having a positive effect in the area of divorce as the...

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Explaining Alimony & Spousal Support

Aug 8, 2012 by

Explaining Alimony & Spousal Support Once a divorce is finalized, an individual might have to pay spousal support – also known as alimony or spousal maintenance – to his or her ex-spouse for living expenses. Rules for modification or termination vary by state, but generally, alimony may be modified if it meets certain requirements. Length of Support Rules vary from state to state as to when support payments end. Some laws declare that payments end when the ex-spouse remarries...

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Court Clerks Sued for Collecting Illegal Fees in Divorce Cases

Aug 8, 2012 by

TAMPA, Fla., March 25 — The Clerks of the Circuit Court have been charging and collecting illegal filing fees in divorce cases throughout the state, according to a class action lawsuit filed today in Hillsborough County. Thousands of cases have been affected and over one million dollars of illegal fees collected by the court clerks since last July, the lawsuit alleges. The suit was filed by several people who paid such fees in their own cases, on behalf of themselves and other people who...

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Single Parenting – Is it Possible to Raise Kids Successfully By Yourself?

Aug 8, 2012 by

The reality of being a single parent after a divorce can be overwhelming. One of the most important aspects of being a happy single parent while doing a good job parenting is to take care of yourself. Treating yourself well will give you strength to be the best parent to your children that you can be following a divorce. During divorce recovery, it’s vital to take some time to be alone. This can be challenging with the demands that single parenting entails, but this is the time when you...

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Trial Marriages Proposed

Aug 8, 2012 by

Lawmakers from the Party of the Democratic Revolution in Mexico City recently proposed a controversial new bill that would allow temporary marriage licenses, which can be discarded or renewed after a minimum two year period. If the legislation allowing temporary marriages is fully approved it would allow Mexican couples to get a marriage license with an expiration date of a minimum two years. The bill would then allow couples to terminate the marriage if they do not renew their marriage...

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Modification of Child Support and Alimony – Trends

Aug 8, 2012 by

A recent study shows that divorce attorneys are currently experiencing an increase in the number of divorced clients seeking changes to their existing child support and alimony payments. A survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) indicates that as the economy continues to spiral downward and unemployment claims rise, many divorced spouses are seeking to get more cash from, or reduce payment amounts to, their ex-partners in order to maintain their current households...

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Pet Custody Cases on the Rise

Aug 8, 2012 by

Divorcing couples have always fought like cats and dogs over child custody in divorce court, but these days it is becoming increasingly common that the battles are actually about who gets custody of the cats and dogs in the home. Members of the 1,600-member American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers concur on this point and have reported that divorce lawyers across the nation have seen a steady rise in the number of pet custody cases on the docket that began in 2000, and continues to rise...

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Sandra Bullock Cancels Divorce?

Aug 8, 2012 by

Multiple news sources jumped to conclusions last week when they discovered that Sandra Bullock’s errant ex-hubby-to-be was relocating his family from California to Austin, Texas where Bullock just happens to reside. The tabloids and celebrity sites took Jesse James’ moving plans to mean that Ms. Bullock was considering taking him back. Many carried the same story and they all seemed to go something like this; “….Bullock puts divorce plans on hold after forgiving husband...

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Study Finds Domestic Violence Shelters Are Meeting Needs of Most Victims

Aug 8, 2012 by

Becoming homeless. Losing everything, including their children. Doing something desperate. Facing continued, life-threatening abuse. That is what victims of domestic violence who received help from shelters say their fate would have been if those shelters did not exist, according to Meeting Survivors’ Needs: A Multi-State Study of Domestic Violence Shelter Experiences. Released today, the groundbreaking study is based on a survey of 3,410 people served by domestic violence shelters in...

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Maine Rejects Gay Marriage – Measure Barely Squeaks By

Aug 8, 2012 by

 Voters in Maine rejected a measure passed just six months ago by the state legislature and signed by the Governor. Most gay-rights activists were hoping that moderate, independent-minded Maine voters would endorse same-sex marriage in a statewide ballot. Following legislation and court orders, gay marriages took effect in Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Same-sex marriage advocates had hope Maine would follow and extend marriage rights to same-sex couples....

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Divorce & Taxes

Aug 8, 2012 by

With the ongoing debate over Proposition 8 in California concerning same-sex marriage in that state, the advantages of marriage are being discussed in the news again. One of the many reasons gay couples desire legal marriage status is the fact that all unmarried couples, regardless of sex, can suffer big tax penalties when they split up. Long-time couples who aren’t married are heavily disadvantaged when they split up and assets are transferred. The tax advantage married couples enjoy is...

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Americans Favor Gay Unions Over Marriage

Aug 8, 2012 by

Recently released figures from the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey show that while 57% of Americans favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions, 53% of Americans say they are opposed to same-sex marriages. Just 39% percent say they support legal recognition for gay marriages. The survey indicates that while most Americans do not favor same-sex marriages, the ratio is changing and support is slowly growing. The increase in support for...

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Regulation of Marriages May Head to Supreme Court

Aug 8, 2012 by

Despite Federal District Judge Vaughn Walker’s Aug. 4 decision nullifying Proposition 8, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has put a stop to same-sex weddings in California for the time being with a stay order issued August 16th.  The stay took effect just before Judge Walker’s ruling was to become active on Wednesday the 18th, a day many same-sex couples had planned to get married on. Now, gay and lesbian couples in California will have to wait at least...

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