Ex-Spouses Ask Mich. Judge to Decide Custody of Dog Semen
Given the unusual nature of the case before her, a Michigan family court judge couldn’t help asking herself an unusual question: Was she on Candid Camera?
But no, it wasn’t a joke or a set-up for the well-known television program. A divorced couple really did want Judge Cheryl Matthews to decide which one of the battling ex-spouses should get the frozen dog semen, reports the Detroit Free Press.
In a Wednesday hearing in Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Karen Scully and counsel for her ex-husband, Anthony Scully, each claimed an ownership of the bull mastiff semen, which is stored at a facility in Michigan. The two, who ran a hobby breeding operation together before their 2002 divorce, are still doing so separately.
An apparently relieved Judge Matthews quickly resolved the situation: Deciding disputed ownership of frozen dog semen, at least in this case, is outside the jurisdiction of family court and must be handled as an ordinary civil matter, she ruled. The case is now assigned to Oakland County Circuit Judge Leo Bowman.
Says Matthews: “My best wishes for Judge Bowman.”
Hat tip: Above the Law.
Additional coverage:
L.A. Unleashed (Los Angeles Times): “Divorced couple go to court over disputed dog semen”
