April 2010 Archives

Tito Ortiz was arrested Monday in Orange County on suspicion of felony domestic violence. Since being released from the Huntington Beach Jail after posting $25,000 bail, Ortiz has claimed through his attorney that a heated confrontation took place because his girlfriend of four years, ex-porn star Jenna Jameson, is addicted to Oxycontin, but he denied physically abusing her.

Jenna Jameson denied Ortiz's claims, saying he must be feeling "desperate" to be making them. Jameson showed "visible injuries" to Huntington Beach police officers, which led to the arrest of Ortiz. She was later seen with a bandage on her arm. She says that Ortiz pushed her into a bathtub after she insulted his ego. She said the fall resulted in two ligaments being torn in her shoulder. Ortiz's attorney has said that Jameson is playing the victim. Jameson's father was present at the time of the confrontation and called police. Her father was at the home caring for the couple's 13-month-old twin sons, who he says did not witness the fight.

Mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz was arrested Monday in Orange County, California, on suspicion of domestic violence. Ortiz was arrested at the home he shares with former porn star Jenna Jameson and their twin sons. Ortiz was taken to the Huntington Beach jail where he posted $25,000 bail and was released. The victim has not been named by police, but Jameson has spoken to the media with a bandage on her elbow, saying she feels "betrayed." It has been reported that police need to note visible injuries in order to make an arrest.

Ortiz has also spoken to the media with his lawyer. At a news conference, Ortiz cried openly as his lawyer claimed that Ortiz and Jameson had a confrontation Monday morning over Jameson's addiction to Oxycontin. Ortiz's attorney says Ortiz did not lay a hand on Jameson and suggested she fell while under the influence of the drug. Ortiz's attorney also said that Jameson's father called 911 after the couple fought, but after hearing of Jameson's drug abuse, he lent support to Ortiz. 

Monica Beresford-Redman's sisters have turned over emails they found on Monica's home computer to the Mexican authorities investigating her death. Monica's body was found on April 8 in a sewer at an upscale resort in Cancun where the Southern California couple was staying with their two young children. Monica's husband, Bruce Beresford-Redman, continues to be the main suspect in her murder.

Authorities say the information in the emails added to witness accounts that the couple were seen and heard fighting at the Cancun resort, boosts the theory that Monica was killed in an act of domestic violence. No charges have been filed yet against Bruce, but he is barred from leaving Mexico until authorities complete their investigation. He denies any involvement in Monica's murder. Mexican authorities have said from the beginning that Bruce's story of Monica's disappearance during a solo shopping trip a few days before her body was found does not add up.

Interfaith marriage has been on the rise in the U.S. in the last few decades, and with the rise of interfaith marriage comes the rise of interfaith divorce. Clergy who give their blessing to interfaith marriage stress that the union will be a learning process, and they counsel that the relationship will require continual compromise and negotiation. In the event of a divorce, what was a point of negotiation can become a point of battle, and often children are caught in the middle.

In contentious child custody and visitation battles, religion can sometimes be used as another weapon in an angry parent's arsenal. A recent case in Chicago has highlighted this issue. The case involves a Jewish mother and a Catholic father who were divorced three years ago but remain entrenched in a contentious legal battle over their 3-year-old daughter's religious education.

Mexican investigators are waiting for forensic test results before deciding whether to arrest Bruce Beresford-Redman in the death of his wife, Monica. Authorities have confiscated Bruce's passport and ordered him to stay in Mexico until their investigation is complete. Monica Beresford-Redman's body was found last Thursday in a sewer about 80 yards from the family's hotel room at the Moon Palace resort in Cancun. Bruce reported Monica missing last Tuesday, saying he had last seen her when she went out shopping on Monday morning.

Bruce's story has not added up for investigators. Quintana Roo state Attorney General Francisco Alor said that witnesses reported seeing the couple fighting and several others reported hearing a loud fight in the couple's room on Monday night. The couple was staying at the resort with their two young children, and Alor also said that a resort employee sent to check on the couple was told by Bruce they were arguing over their kids. 

Investigators believe Monica died on Monday night. Her body had signs of asphyxiation, evidence of several blows to the head, and scratches on her neck. Bruce also had scratches on his face and arms.   

A lawyer for Monica's sisters has reported that they asked the Los Angeles County district attorney's office to do what they can to help with the murder investigation.

A child visitation case soon to go on trial could break new ground in disabled parents' rights and grandparents' rights in California. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times (Severely disabled, is she still a mom?) tells the story of a woman who was severely disabled as a result of a series of medical errors during the birth of her and her husband's triplets. The children were born healthy, but the mother's brain was severely damaged when it was deprived of oxygen, and she no longer can move or speak. There is debate over whether her brain is in a vegetable state or whether she can still feel emotion and think.

The father divorced the mother a couple of years ago in an attempt to move on. The father and triplets live in the Los Angeles area, but the mother's parents moved her back to South Carolina with them to continue to care for her after the divorce. Although the divorce was finalized in 2008, matters of custody, child visitation, child support, and property were put off until later. In May, a trial will begin in Los Angeles County Superior Court during which the mother's parents hope to convince a judge to order the father to allow the children to visit their mother. 

Reality TV producer Bruce Beresford-Redman remains at the center of the investigation into his wife's death in Cancun, Mexico. Monica Beresford-Redman's body was found Thursday in a sewer near the upscale Moon Palace Resort where the Southern California couple had been staying on vacation with their two children.

Bruce reported Monica missing on Tuesday. He told police she had left to go shopping alone on Monday morning and hadn't come back. A security guard reported seeing the couple in a domestic dispute on Monday night and that Bruce had tried to hit his wife.

Financial disagreements are one of the most prevalent causes of marital strife. Most marriage and financial experts agree that couples should thoroughly discuss their financial pasts and futures before they get married. If couples wait until after financial issues arise in the marriage, it could spell a rocky future.

An article in the Los Angeles Times, 'Love me, love my credit score" outlines topics you should discuss with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you get married. While discussing prenuptial agreements and how you will divvy up bill-paying responsibilities may seem unromantic, experts agree it could lay a solid foundation for your marriage. Here are five starting points for your financial discussions:

Idaho missionary Laura Silsby remains jailed in Haiti for attempting to bus 33 Haitian children into the Dominican Republic following the earthquake earlier this year. The bus was stopped at the border because Silsby lacked the proper documentation for the children. It was later found that the children were not orphans. The other nine Baptist missionaries accompanying Silsby have been released from jail and have left Haiti. Silsby is still being held on suspicion of kidnapping, and she continues to face more legal problems.

Her internet company, Personal Shopper, Inc., is closing this week in the midst of lawsuits over unpaid wages, and her ex-husband is seeking sole custody of their 5-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son. Terry Silsby has asked an Idaho court to demand that Laura immediately return their children's passports and pass a medical clearance before she is allowed to have contact with them.

He says that the children have told him that Laura said she was planning to live in the Dominican Republic and would take them with her. Terry told the court that he is afraid his ex-wife will continue her orphanage project and will take the children without his permission to live in the Dominican Republic.

Dean Click still has hope that he will be reunited with his daughter. Jessica Click-Hill, who now goes under another name, was allegedly abducted by her mother, Wendy Hill, 15 years ago during a child custody battle with Click in Walnut Creek, California. Hill was arrested earlier this month in Southern California. She has pleaded not guilty to felony child abduction.

Click has been working on a letter that he will give to police to pass on to his daughter, now a young woman of 22. He wants his daughter to know that he loves and misses her. Police have reported, however, that so far Click's daughter is adamant about not seeing him.

During the custody battle, Hill accused Click of child molestation. Click says that the charges were untrue and he passed a lie detector test at the time. Walnut Creek police report that Click was cleared of Hill's accusations. Click believes Hill made the accusation in a desperated attempt to win sole custody of their daughter.