Terrell Owens: Two Week Marriage Ends Over Financial Concerns

At the height of his NFL career, professional football player Terrell Owens was worth an estimated $70 million. However, in 2011, Owens told a judge in a Family Court dispute that a series of financial set backs had essentially left him broke. At the time, he was paying $125,000 a month in child support and mortgage payments to the four mothers of his four children.

The latest wrinkle in Terrell Owens’ money problems? A two week marriage that has already ended in claims that “T.O.” was trying to financially defraud new wife Rachel Snider into obtaining a mortgage and putting a down payment on a $2 million home. Read more

Why Hiding Divorce Assets Offshore Not An Option

Off the slopes and away from the rink, the Sochi Winter Olympics features a very fierce battle being waged. However, this race is not for a gold medal, it’s a divorce dispute involving Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin, who is said to have funded the bulk of the Sochi Games and Natalia Potanin, his wife. Read more

Blue Ribbon Commission Proposed To Study NJ Alimony Reform

Following the lead of other states that have updated alimony laws in recent years, the wheels of change appear to now be turning in New Jersey in the form of a new Blue Ribbon commission approved February 11, 2014 by the Assembly Judiciary Committee to study alimony reform. Read more

When Only One Spouse Wants to Divorce: Obtaining A Default Judgment

In a best case scenario, the decision to divorce is made only after much careful and thoughtful consideration and an understanding on the part of both spouses that ending their marriage is ultimately the right thing to do, even if it’s a very difficult thing to do.

In many divorce cases, however, separation can be the result of one spouse abruptly leaving out of the blue and abandoning the other, or the decision to divorce is a choice made by only one spouse, with the other spouse resistant to the idea.

Do you find yourself in one of these last two examples, either as the spouse caught off guard by divorce, or as the spouse who has left? Here’s what you need to know about what happens in New Jersey when divorce is only pursued by one spouse. Read more

5 People Who Need a Prenuptial Agreement

Image copyright Jean_Nelson, Depositphoto.com

Are you one of them? A prenuptial agreement is a legal document signed off on by a couple before their marriage that can address such issues as property and assets brought into the marriage by each person, and what the property rights of each will be should they divorce. A prenup can also spell out amounts of NJ spousal support or alimony the couple agrees to in the event of divorce, and how certain behavior (i.e., cheating/marital infidelity) can affect the conditions of a divorce. Read more

Why Did Eliot and Silda Spitzer File for Divorce as “Anonymous v. Anonymous”?

Eliot Spitzer, former Governor of New York and his wife Silda Wall Spitzer have officially filed for divorce, but in a move that might seem to some as unusual for a couple so much in the spotlight, the power couple’s divorce petition was filed as “Anonymous vs Anonymous”.

Why not use their real names? Read more

Thinking About Becoming A SAHM Or SAHD? Here’s Why You Need a POST-Nup

A recent CNBC piece about stay-at-home moms and their earning ability in the event of divorce brought up the very real issue of what many SAHMs (and SAHDs) run into when they suddenly need to find work in the career they left: It’s not always easy. Read more

Does the Affordable Care Act Encourage Divorce?

Could implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) lead to an increase in divorce rates? Here are some compelling why this could be a distinct possibility.  Read more

Tips for Maintaining A Household Budget During Divorce

filing for divorce

Whether you are remaining in the marital home after a divorce or are moving to a new residence, now that you have physically separated and divided your possessions, one of the first things you need to do is assess what you’ve still got and what you will need. Have you taken stock of your possessions yet?  Read more

Alleged Conflict of Interest for Ocean County Family Law Judge Melanie Appleby

Update 12/4: According to a NJ Law Journal report, in Judge Appleby’s formal answer, made public yesterday, Appleby admits that she met with attorney Louis around May 2012 to discuss her personal child support issue. She also admits to providing him with documents and exchanging e-mails on the matter. In regards to the forged letterhead that was allegedly produced by the attorney, she denies any knowledge or involvement and also denies covering up the conflict of interest.

What happens when a New Jersey family court judge requires legal representation in a New Jersey family law matter? Who do you choose to serve as your attorney? And ethically speaking, who can you choose? Read more