February 2010 Archives

A California woman, known in court documents as Charisma R., has had her status as a legal co-parent confirmed and has won child visitation rights to the daughter she had with her former lesbian partner. The U.S. Supreme Court denied review of an appeal brought by her former partner, Kristina S., and thereby confirmed the decision last year by California's First District Court of Appeal in favor of Charisma.

The women had lived together as registered domestic partners in California for five years when they decided to have a child. Kristina gave birth to Amalia through artificial insemination in April 2003. Charisma was present at the birth and the women gave the child both of their last names. Kristina returned to work after six weeks and Charisma cared full-time for the child until Kristina broke off the domestic partnership and moved away with Amalia in July 2003.

A judge has ordered Detroit-area podiatrist Dr. Kenneth Mitchell to hand over his financial records immediately to an independent receiver. Mitchell's wife, Faye Miller, is seeking an annulment, along with child support for their two young children and damages for emotional distress.

Miller decided to seek the annulment after discovering that Mitchell already had a wife in California when he married her in 1999 and that he married a third woman in Quebec in 2003.Mitchell claims he believed he was divorced from his first wife in California when he married the second and that the third marriage was never finalized. The three wives beg to differ.

Televangelist Benny Hinn has some explaining to do. His Christian followers around the world will want to know how he could be getting divorced from his wife of over 30 years. On Feb. 1, Suzanne Hinn filed for divorce in Orange County Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences.

Benny Hinn Ministries is based in Grapevine, Texas, but he also operates a church and television studio in Orange County. Pastor Hinn's televised preaching is seen by millions of people every day. He teaches that good Christians will be rewarded by God with health and prosperity in this lifetime.

Orange County divorce attorneys need to get tech savvy.  After all, 81% of lawyers have seen an increase in the use of Facebook and other social networking sites as evidence in divorce cases.

Divorce is an ugly battle and could get even uglier with the open availability of personal information.  In the past few years, social networking sites have become the go-to venue for social interaction. 

Facebook is not the place you go to share your secrets, as its purpose is to engage people on a social level.  On Facebook, people can post and share photos of their friends and even lovers.

This, of course, can prove quite troubling when their ex-spouse lands on the page, as Orange County divorce attorneys surely know.  One divorce attorney actually tells his clients to terminate their Facebook page immediately, if they are going through a divorce.

Real Housewives of Orange County reality star, Tamra Barney, has been facing severe marriage problems.  Her husband, Simon Barney, recently filed for divorce.

And, the couple doesn't have a premarital agreement. 

But is having a pre-marital agreement always a good thing?  Are Orange County divorce attorneys all in favor of pre-marital agreements or are these agreements not always what they are cracked up to be? 

Actress Sandra Bullock has much to be thankful for.  With her recent Academy Award nomination and a handsome husband, Jesse James, by her side, it would seem she has nothing lacking in her life.

Except the joy of motherhood, Jesse James' ex-wife claims.  Bullock and James currently have custody over Sunny, James' daughter from a previous marriage.  Now, James and his ex-wife, Janine Lindemulder, are engaged in a bitter legal battle for child custody and child visitation.  James is taking the battle for child visitation  one step further and asking that Bullock be recognized as the legal mother of Sunny. 

Lindemulder, of course, is furious.  Is it a wonder that she is furious, though?  After all, in the custody battle, Bullock and James both allege that Lindemulder is an unfit parent. 

The U.S. Supreme Court is considering how to interpret the Hague Convention in an international child custody case. The case involves an American mother who brought her child from Chile to live in Texas without her British husband's consent. Her husband has been appealing the case in order to try to have the child sent back to Chile.

The mother was granted daily custody of the child and the father was granted child visitation rights by Chilean courts. They also ruled that both parties would have to stay in Chile unless it was agreed between them to leave.