Divorce / Dissolution of Marriage

November 20, 2009

TV Food Celebrity (Mary Jo Eustace) Dumped by Husband (Dean McDermott) for TV Star Tori Spelling, Tells All in New Book

TV cooking show host Mary Jo Eustace was not very well known until her husband, actor Dean McDermott, divorced her to marry heiress and famous Hollywood actress Tori Spelling in 2006. McDermott and Spelling met on the set of a lifetime movie they were working on together. Ms. Eustace has said she was taken by surprise when her divorce garnered major media attention.

Ms. Eustace has said that her divorce was a shocking surprise as well as very public and humiliating. One of the insults the newly married couple heaped on Ms. Eustace included offering to produce a reality show where Ms. Eustace looks for a new husband. Ms. Eustace declined, and instead is launching her own reality show, which will help women in midlife reinvent themselves after divorce. And she has written a book to tell the world about the pains of her divorce; the book is entitled Divorce Sucks: What to Do When Irreconcilable Differences, Lawyer Fees and Your Ex’s Hollywood Wife Make you Miserable.

In the book she talks about the divorce and her reaction to it, which has included getting over the betrayal of her husband and making more time for herself. You can read more about the new book at Life after divorce: Mary Jo Eustace enjoys her second act.

November 19, 2009

British Couples Recently Break Records for Oldest Divorcees and Oldest Newlyweds

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Bert and Jesse Wood had been married for 36 years when they filed for divorce last year in Great Britain. The marriage was the second for both of them, and at the time of the decree of divorce they were both 98 years old – making them the oldest couple on record to divorce. They have not publically stated the reason for their divorce, and their children are not making comments to the press. Wood died shortly after the decree was issued, and Ms. Wood now lives in a nursing home.

In the next county over, Les Atwell and Sheila Walsh recently became the oldest newlyweds on record when they married at the ages of 94 and 87, respectively. Atwell and Ms. Walsh had been introduced four years earlier. Ms. Walsh was at first hesitant to even meet Atwell, due to his age, but she says that when they did meet it was love at first sight. The couple took a two week honeymoon cruise through the Mediterranean, visiting Athens, Rome, and Barcelona.

The stories about these two couples just show that it is never too late for divorce, and never too late to find love again. If you are considering divorce, please contact our firm for legal counsel.

November 17, 2009

Mel Gibson and Girlfriend (Oksana Grigorieva) Welcome Their First Child

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Australian actor Mel Gibson and his girlfriend, Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva, have welcomed a baby girl named Lucia into the world. While Lucia is Gibson’s eighth child, it is the couple’s first child together. Gibson has seven children with his former wife, Robyn Gibson. They divorced in April of this year after twenty-eight years of marriage. Gibson and Grigorieva met while filming “Edge of Reason.”

Gibson’s daughter was born in California, but if the child had been born in Florida, the new girlfriend would definitely need to file for a paternity action so that a judge could determine Mel to be the LEGAL father of the child and to have a support obligation for her. Until a judge signs an Order making Mel the legal father, the child would not be considered to be an heir at law to Mel Gibson. In sum, people who have babies out of wedlock in Florida need a paternity action even though they may be listed on the birth certificate. Until a Judge says that the father is the father, the child will not be legally recognized as the legal heir.

If you are unmarried and expecting a child, please contact our firm for family legal counsel.

November 11, 2009

There is Dating After Divorce

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Clinical psychologist Judith Sills recently published a book entitled Getting Naked Again: Dating, Romance, Sex, and Love When You’ve been Divorced, Widowed, Dumped, or Distracted. She is determined to help women get back into dating after the end of a relationship. She addresses the fact that many women are uncertain about getting into dating and romance because it has been awhile since they were in that situation. She also discusses the difference between being widowed and being divorced, saying that divorce is usually accompanied by a lot of anger, and can feel like a public failure, even though the loss is just as real. She says that getting back into dating requires a new mindset that welcomes the possibility of a relationship and that women and men should both be prepared for changes in relationships with family and friends as they begin dating again.

Many people going through a divorce are filled with rage and sadness that makes them feel as though life is over for them. While divorce is difficult, it is not the end of the world – for many it is the beginning of a new and happier life. Getting back into the mix of things and dating after divorce can be the first step.

If you are considering divorce, please contact our firm for expert, compassionate legal counsel.

November 10, 2009

Kate Gosselin Says She is Not Sure if She Wants to Remarry

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Kate Gosselin, mother of the eight children featured in the TLC reality show, “Jon & Kate Plus 8” has been going through a very public divorce from her husband, Jon Gosselin. On a recent episode of the show, she answered questions from viewers, including whether or not she feels she would like to marry again in the future. Her answer was “I don’t know, I really don’t want to be married again, but I don’t want to be alone. The alone-ness is really alone.”

Many people who go through a divorce feel the same way as Ms. Gosselin. Divorce is very hard emotionally for all parties. A divorce can feel very similar to the death of a loved one, and people need to allow themselves time to heal emotionally. But for many people, divorce is not the end but the beginning of their new, healthier life. And that may very well include a new romance.

If you are considering divorce, please contact our firm for expert, compassionate legal counsel.

November 6, 2009

The Rich and Famous Aren’t Much Different from You and I When it Comes to Divorce

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Movie stars, millionaires and other VIPs work very hard to keep their personal details private – especially when it comes to divorce. They claim they have a greater need for concern about identity theft. For business executives, the business itself can intervene to protect confidential company information that might come out in the divorce. Of course, news organizations are fighting to keep everything in the public domain. The controversy pits privacy against the first amendment.

Certainly the same concerns exist for non-famous wealthy couples, who may want to keep their financial documents and dirty laundry out of the public domain. There are ways to keep the divorce settlement confidential in Florida, and we are a law firm that knows the ins and outs of accomplishing the goal of confidentiality in Florida for high end divorce settlements.

If you are considering divorce, and want to keep the details private, contact our firm for expert legal counsel.

November 5, 2009

Miami, Florida – Gays Allowed to Adopt in Florida – For Now

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

In Florida, the courts in Miami overturned the ban on gay adoptions in August 2009. Judge Cindy S. Lederman wrote in her opinion that excluding gay couples defeats Florida’s mission to provide all children permanent families. The state has claimed that gays are more likely to suffer from psychological imbalances and substance abuse than heterosexual couples, although several well-respected organizations have said that gay parents do not negatively affect a child’s upbringing.

A statewide resolution must be determined by an appellate court before the ban is officially lifted. Florida is the only state to ban homosexuals from adopting children. A few other states prevent unmarried persons from adopting children, which effectively bans gays, who are not legally allowed to marry in those states. Mississippi allows single people to adopt, no matter what their sexual orientation, but prohibits same-sex partners from adopting jointly.

The state attorney general’s office has appealed the decision so the gay and lesbian community in Florida await the decision to see if they will have the “right” to adopt in Florida.

November 4, 2009

Temporary Divorce Orders Can Provide Immediate Relief

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Many clients need immediate help when they first start going through a divorce. The idea that a divorce can take many months to finalize is very upsetting for most people. But there are temporary motions that can be filed to address issues such as temporary child support, custody, possession and occupancy of the marital home and the like. Temporary orders are legally binding guidelines that both parties must follow until the divorce is finalized.

Some common items covered in a temporary divorce order include:

– An agreement not to use the other party’s credit or make a large purchase without advance written notice

November 3, 2009

Man (John Marcotte) Seeks to Ban Divorce in California

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

John Marcotte, the backer of a California ballot initiative that would ban divorce in California was authorized to begin collecting the signatures required to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot. He will need to collect the signatures of 694,354 registered voters before March 22, 2010.

The amendment would eliminate the current California law that allows married couples to divorce. Couples would still be allowed to annul their marriages. The initiative claims that the amendment would save the state of California “hundreds of millions” of dollars spent on divorce proceedings in California courts.

While an interesting approach to fiscal responsibility in California, the move begs the question of why Marcotte wouldn’t initiate an amendment asking divorcing couples to pay their court costs, rather than denying them the right to a divorce.

November 2, 2009

Military Divorces Require Special Legal Expertise

By Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A.

Military divorces are subject to certain laws that are not applicable to civilian divorces. As an example, those active in the military are entitled under federal legislation in some cases to delay a divorce or to take advantage of court-appointed counsel. Additionally, military pensions are subject to different rules than private retirement accounts or other types of pensions. Calculating alimony and child support is also affected by federal regulations, as is the location of the actual divorce proceedings.

As a Jacksonville, Florida law firm, Wood, Atter & Wolf, P.A., specializes in military divorces and is well prepared to deal with the unique issues that a military family has to deal with, such as child custody as a result of deployment as well as how to divide and calculate military pay and pension.

If you are an active service member who is considering divorce, please contact our firm for expert, compassionate legal counsel.