Articles Posted in Divorce

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As we have previously blogged, it is illegal in San Diego for any married person to marry anyone other than his or her current spouse. Polygamy describes a marriage between more than two people. TLC brought the spotlight to this mysterious form of marriage with its reality show Sister Wives. Sister Wives is a show about the Brown family in which one man is married to four different women. After the show aired, rumors spread that the authorities were investigating the Browns for polygamy. The thought of criminal prosecution for their lifestyle forced the Browns out of the State of Utah, where they were living, to Nevada where they believed they would be more easily accepted.

Although Utah authorities investigated the Browns, many people are speaking out against laws prohibiting polygamy. Polygamy is often linked to the Mormon faith, thus those who are speaking out against its prohibition cite laws protecting religious freedom. Those condemning anti-polygamy laws argue that the laws inhibit religious freedom in the same way that laws prohibiting contraception did.

Legally, polygamists argue that anti-polygamy laws violate the U.S. Constitution’s Free Exercise Clause. The Free Exercise Clause prohibits the states from imposing restrictions on someone on the basis of the person’s religious beliefs. The state may only impose a restriction if that restriction is necessary to achieve a compelling state interest. However, a law of general applicability, which only incidentally burdens religious practices, will not be subject to invalidation. Any state which prohibits polygamy defends this law by arguing that a compelling interest (protection of women and children) exists and that anti-polygamy laws are necessary to achieve that compelling interest.

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After eight years of marriage to the famous actor, Dennis Quaid’s wife, Kimberly Buffington, recently filed for legal separation. In March of 2012 Buffington filed a petition for dissolution of marriage citing “discord or conflict of personalities” as the reason for the split. However, just three months after she filed, Buffington withdrew her divorce petition. The couple seemed to be working on their relationship when they celebrated their eight-year anniversary in Bora Bora. In her petition for legal separation Buffington requested joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s twins. Additionally, Buffington asked the court to award her spousal support and order Quaid to contribute toward her attorney fees and court costs.

Quaid and Buffington recently moved to California from Texas. Although Buffington filed for legal separation, she reportedly intends to file for a full divorce once the six-month waiting period has expired. In California, only parties who have resided in the state for a minimum of six months may file for divorce in California family courts. Deciding to file for legal separation or divorce is an important decision. If a party files for legal separation, the court has the ability to make custody and visitation, support, and property division orders. Unlike in divorce proceedings, there is no requisite waiting period to obtain a legal separation.

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In the 1950’s it was common for a husband to be the breadwinner for his family and for a wife to stay at home to care for the children, but how much of that traditional stereotype persists today? In divorces, the traditional view of marriage creates assumptions such as “husbands are ordered to pay spousal support more often than wives” and “women are more often awarded custody of the children”. A study conducted by the University of Michigan tends to show that these old traditions and stereotypical roles may still endure today.

According to the study conducted by the University of Michigan, each year approximately 115,000 women are left without health insurance following a divorce. Additionally, two years after their initial divorce, the health insurance rate for divorced women remains low. Many health insurance companies allow employees who receive health insurance benefits to claim their spouses as dependents for insurance purposes. This allows the employee to obtain health insurance on behalf of his or her spouse through his or her employer. However, upon divorce, employees are generally not permitted to claim former spouses as dependents. Therefore, any divorcé formerly covered by his or her spouse’s health insurance must find new coverage.

The intriguing part of the University of Michigan study is that so many women, not men, are left without health insurance following divorce. Does this mean that men are typically still the breadwinners in modern marriages? The study also noted that even employed women had a difficult time maintaining health insurance through their employers. Because of the financial difficulties that can come with divorce, many women had to sacrifice paying health insurance premiums in order to pay for basic necessities.

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Often in San Diego divorces, both spouses are unable to maintain the same lifestyle they enjoyed while living together. The lifestyle of the parties during marriage is called the marital standard of living. The financial reality of divorce is that it is more expensive to sustain two separate households than it is to sustain one. Thus, divorce can lead to an adjustment in spending, entertainment and square footage.

Spousal support is a tool used by Family Courts to attempt to equalize the living situation of both spouses. This is especially true if one spouse forgoes the opportunity to work for many years in order to take care of his or her children. If one spouse is the breadwinner and the other maintains the home and the children, upon divorce, the breadwinner will be able to support the same lifestyle but this would leave the non-working spouse with no ability to support him or herself and the children. Thus, the court will order the breadwinner to pay support to the non-working spouse in order for both to maintain similar standards of living post-separation.

Spousal support is calculated, on a temporary basis, using a guideline formula. The formula requires lawyers and judges to input both spouses “income” that is available for support. For a W-2 employee, this calculation is basic. The only factor to consider when determining income available for support is the gross wages from the spouse’s tax return or year-end form W-2. Some spouses however, have attempted to artificially deflate this income available for support by taking a reduction in salary and instead receiving housing or car allowance perks from their employer. If the court recognizes an attempt to artificially deflate income, it may impute the value of perks received by the spouse as additional income available for support.

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Oprah Winfrey has become entangled in her father Vernon Winfrey’s divorce. Vernon married his current wife, Barbara Winfrey, in 2000. Vernon’s divorce papers contain allegations that Barbara engaged in “inappropriate marital conduct,” which refers to an extramarital affair. In her response, Barbara accuses Vernon of violent outbursts including an incident where he chased her with a gun and threatened to pull the trigger.

During their marriage, the couple has enjoyed living in a $1.4 million dollar home in Nashville. The home is owned by a trust, which was created and funded by Oprah. Vernon filed for divorce in Franklin, Tennessee in June of 2012. As a result of the divorce process, the Davidson County Sheriff’s deputies had an order to evict Ashley Williams, Oprah’s stepsister, from the Winfrey marital residence. However, the attorney for the trust had the order rescinded. The relationship between Oprah and Barbara seems beyond repair; however, that tension does not seem to extend to Oprah’s relationship with her stepsister.

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As we have previously blogged, technology is playing an important role in San Diego divorces. Often, spouses use social media sites such as Facebook to gather information about their spouse to be used in the dissolution process. However, some spouses are taking the use of technology to a whole new level. Danny Lee Hormann did not simply peruse his wife’s Facebook when he suspected her of cheating. Instead he installed a gamut of spy equipment in the family home, on the family computer, on his wife’s cell phone, and in his wife’s car.

Michele Mathias, Hormann’s wife, became so worried that her husband was spying on her that she and their children searched the family home for recording devices and held whispered conversations on the lawn. Mathis argued that it was not only her family’s privacy that was invaded, but the privacy of every person who sent her a text message or used her computer was compromised as well. The police pursued criminal charges against Hormann for stalking and he was sentenced to thirty days in jail. According to Hormann, when others hear his story they reply that they would have done the same thing.

This type of spying and information gathering results in the collection of more private information in a short period of time than the discovery process may ever be able to gather. However, many lawyers are questioning the legality of this behavior and what information, if any, can actually be used as evidence in a dissolution case. Under the U.S. Constitution, we all have a “reasonable expectation of privacy.” This expectation of privacy is reduced in certain instances such as when a person is in public. Spying spouses have begun to argue that there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in a marriage.

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Demi Moore, 49, and Ashton Kutcher, 34, garnered an enormous amount of media attention when they married in September of 2005. The spotlight continued to follow the couple when rumors of Kutcher’s infidelity began to spread. Allegedly, Kutcher cheated on his wife with two party girls Brittney Jones and Sarah Leal. Regarding her husband’s infidelity, Moore released the following statement “as a woman, and a mother and a wife, there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life.”

Moore and Kutcher are taking an interesting approach to the divorce process. Although the couple split in 2011, neither party has filed a divorce petition. Rumors have now spread that Moore and Kutcher were never legally married. However, the more likely explanation is that the couple is attempting to reach a settlement before a petition for dissolution of marriage is filed. It seems the former couple cannot agree on how to split up the enormous $290 million fortune they amassed. Unlike in the Brand-Perry divorce, Kutcher and Moore have earned a relatively similar amount. According to reports, Moore is worth $150 million while Kutcher is worth $140 million.

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Throughout Del Mar and San Diego County, many divorcing parties are unclear about the concept of “alimony.” In California, the Family Codes and courts use the term “spousal support” instead of “alimony” to reference payments made from one spouse/former spouse to another for his or her financial support. Most parties are aware of the fact that once the divorce is over the court can order one party to pay the other spousal support. However, considering that the divorce process can take years for some litigants, many parties are unsure of what they should do in the mean time.

Temporary Spousal Support: Under the California Family Code, San Diego courts have the authority to make temporary spousal support awards. These awards are called “temporary” because they last only until the divorce is finalized. The purpose of a temporary spousal support award is to maintain the status quo until the time of trial and is intended to be a short-term solution. Based on the limited funds of the parties, it may be impossible for both to maintain the status quo of the marriage. Thus, in this situation, the judge will make an award as close to the status quo as possible. The quick and expedient method of calculating temporary spousal support is called the “guideline” formula. In order to determine guideline support, the judge will input various factors such as the incomes of the parties, tax filing status of the parties and any tax deductions and the formula will produce a guideline amount of support. However, the actual support awarded is within the family court judge’s broad discretion.

Permanent Spousal Support: “Permanent” spousal support is a misnomer. Often, even in long-term marriages, spousal support is not automatically “permanent.” Permanent spousal support simply refers to the spousal support award made at the conclusion of the divorce proceedings (as opposed to temporary support). In order to set permanent spousal support, the court is not permitted to simply use the guideline formula to come up with an amount. Instead, the family court judge will consider all of the factors listed under California Family Code section 4320. These factors include but are not limited to: the paying spouse’s ability to pay, needs of the parties based on the marital standard of living, health of the parties, the obligations and assets of both parties, the tax consequences of support, and any documented evidence of domestic violence. Additionally, the court may consider “any other factors” which would produce a “just and reasonable” result.

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In San Diego, the divorce process can range between six months and several years. This significant time span can have a serious impact on value of assets. Considering the volatility of the stock market and real estate prices, the date of valuation can become a contested issue. Consider the following example: During marriage Husband created and operated a business. After separation, Husband continued to expend efforts and the value of the business grew substantially. By the time of trial the value of the business is triple than at the time of separation.All property acquired and all income earned during marriage is community property. Upon divorce, both parties have a one-half interest in the community’s portion of an asset. Because the business was created during marriage and Husband expended efforts in the business during marriage, a portion of that business is community property. Therefore, Wife will argue that for the purposes of division, the business should be valued at the time of trial. Husband, on the other hand, will argue that the business should be valued as of the date of separation.

Under California Family Code section 2552, “for the purpose of division of the community estate upon dissolution of marriage or legal separation of the parties…the court shall value the assets and liabilities as near as practicable to the time of trial.” Thus, as a general principle of law, assets are valued at the time of trial. However, the court may, for good cause, value all or any portion of the assets and liabilities at a date after separation and before trial to accomplish an equal division of the community estate in an equitable manner.California courts have determined that good cause exists to value an asset at the date of separation rather than the date of trial if the increase in the fair market value was due to the owner’s personal services, not capital assets. This means that if the value increased due to market fluctuations or other outside factors, the asset will be valued at or as near as possible to trial. However, if goodwill, accounts receivable, or other efforts by the owner lead to an increase in value, the asset will be valued at the date of separation.

Please contact us if you are considering a divorce from your spouse, a legal separation, or have questions regarding child custody and visitation. Nancy J. Bickford is the only lawyer in San Diego County representing clients in divorces, who is a Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS) and who is actively licensed as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Don’t settle for less when determining your rights. Call 858-793-8884 in Del Mar, Carmel Valley, North County or San Diego.

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Child support, if ordered, is an ongoing parental obligation that usually terminates when the child reaches eighteen years of age, graduates from high school, becomes married or is otherwise emancipated. The amount of child support owed is dependent upon a number of factors such as the income of both parties and the needs of the children. Child support is strictly enforced in a number of ways. Boxing champion Evander Holyfield recently learned that the court’s ability to enforce child support extends to celebrities. Holyfield was held in contempt of court for failing to pay past due child support.

In San Diego County, the Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is one state entity that enforces child support orders. Holyfield was pursued by the Georgia Department of Human Services, which serves a similar function as DCSS. The Georgia Department of Human Services includes the Division of Child Support Services. By the time that the State of Georgia became involved in Holyfield’s case, his daughter, Emani Holyfield was eighteen years old and he owed $372,097.40 of unpaid support. By the time he was held in contempt of court, Holyfield’s debt had reached a staggering $563,000.00. The court ordered Holyfield to make payments in the amount of $2950.00 per month. In order to get a head start, Holyfield immediately made a payment of $17,700.

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