Recently in Divorce Category

Frank McCourt took the witness stand for the third day in the McCourt divorce trial and insisted that there was no fraud involved in the discrepancies between copies of the couple's post-nuptial agreement. The McCourts' significantly high assets have complicated their divorce, particularly because the couple disagrees wildly as to who is entitled to what in the divorce. The current trial is trying to determine who has rightful ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jamie McCourt wants full co-ownership, while Frank McCourt insists he is the team's sole owner.

Complicating the disagreement is discrepancies found in post-nuptial agreements signed by the couple. The couple signed 6 copies of a marital contract that divided the assets of Jamie and Frank between them. Frank said that drawing up the agreement was Jamie's idea to protect their properties from business creditors. Jamie has said that she did not mean for the agreement to determine how the couple's property would be divided in the event of a divorce.

As reported in previous posts, Frank and Jamie McCourt have been unable to reach a settlement in their high-asset divorce, and the greatest sticking point regards the ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both sides of the divorcing couple disagree wildly as to who has what stake in ownership of the team. Jamie claims that she should have co-ownership of the team, while Frank maintains that the team solely belongs to him.

The 11-day trial to determine the ownership of the Dodgers is now underway with both sides presenting their viewpoints on the matter. At the center of the trial is whether a 2004 post-nuptial agreement should be invalidated or allowed to stand. The agreement assigns ownership of the couple's businesses and assets to Frank, while assigning property ownership to Jamie. 

Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren announced Monday that they are divorced. Their marriage was officially ended by a circuit court in Florida today. The couple announced that they will share child custody and parenting of their two children, ages 3 and 1. According to an article on Golf.com, the couple said they were saddened by the end of their marriage, but wished each other the best and are both firmly focused on doing what's best for their children.

The financial terms of the marriage have not been reported in the media, but they have been speculated upon. In Florida, divorce proceedings become part of the public record, but can remain confidential if the divorcing couple agrees to a private settlement. It has been reported that Nordegren is believed to have signed a prenuptial agreement before the couple married. The divorce would certainly be classified as high-asset as Woods has been reported to be worth $1 billion by Fortune Magazine.

The next hearing in the McCourt high-asset divorce proceedings is set for August 30, and Jamie McCourt's attorneys say they have found a new document that may dramatically change the outcome. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jamie's attorneys say they have discovered a new document that proves that Jamie has a stake in ownership of the Los Angeles Dodgers equal to that of the husband she is divorcing, Frank McCourt.

Jamie's attorneys say that the document they found is the original document from 2004 and shows Jamie owns half the team. They have filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court to have the document admitted as evidence in the upcoming hearing. They say that the similar document currently admitted in court has an exhibit improperly attached that designates Frank McCourt as the sole owner. Jamie's attorneys say that forensic analysis showed that the document they recently found, sans exhibit, is the true document.

The high-asset divorce of Frank and Jamie McCourt has not yet been settled, even though both sides have expressed their wish to do so. One of the most contentious parts of the divorce process has been a dispute over the worth of the Dodgers team and whether Jamie McCourt is entitled to income from the team or part ownership as part of her alimony. 

According to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times, the couple cannot agree on whether Jamie should receive income based on how much the team is worth now versus how much it could be worth in the future. Jamie and her team of attorneys are seeking to give her a percentage interest in the team. Frank and his attorneys worry that that will give Jamie a say in team business decisions, which Frank does not want to share with his future wife.

The Associated Press is reporting that the marriage of Sandra Bullock and Jesse James is officially over. After accounts of infidelities were widely reported in the media, Bullock filed for divorce from James in April, citing "discord or conflict of personalities." A court in Texas finalized the divorce on Monday.

Bullock and James met in 2003 and were married in 2005. Bullock was experiencing a career high last spring. She won a string of awards for her starring acting role in "The Blind Side." Ten days after she won an Oscar for that role, reports surfaced in the tabloids that James had been unfaithful. She had thanked James during awards show speeches for helping her with her career and "having her back," only to find he allegedly had had affairs while she was away filming the Oscar-winning film. James publicly apologized to Bullock and his three children from a previous relationship, for who Bullock had been a devoted stepmom.

Al and Tipper Gore announced last week that they are separating after 40 years of marriage. After decades together and accumulating shared property as well as shared grandchildren and everything else that comes from a life built together, many would wonder why a couple would undergo the hassle and pain of breaking up. Even so, marriage counselors, divorce attorneys, and other marriage experts are reporting that such "gray divorces" are on the rise. Among the reasons, people are living longer, and many see a life ahead that doesn't include their spouse and they decide that now's the time to get out.

While many around the Web have lamented the Gores' announcement as more bad news, others see the positive aspects and even the optimism in the Gores' decision. In a recent article, The New York Times quotes several marriage experts who feel that the breakup of the Gores could be seen as a "glass-half-full story." 

Al and Tipper Gore's announcement last week that they were separating jolted a lot of people in the country who looked at the couples' 40-year-marriage as ideal. The announcement has also brought to light a trend that marriage counselors and divorce attorneys have seen for awhile. As reported in 'Til 40 Years Do Us Part in The Wall Street Journal, the dissolution of long-term marriages has become more and more routine for several reasons.

Foremost among those reasons is that people are healthier these days and are living longer. Marriage experts say that couples who may have stayed married to raise their children, or were so busy raising children that they didn't take a hard look at the state of their marriage, are looking at 20 or more years of life in an unhappy empty nest after their children are grown. Women are also more financially independent with their own jobs and less dependent on their husbands. With children grown and finances in order, couples who find themselves no longer in love with each other might feel like there's nothing holding them to their spouse and that it's possible to divorce and start again.