Family Law

Bad Real Estate Market a Big Issue in Celebrity Divorces

A declining real estate market is making it harder for divorcing celebrities to reach agreement on the division of their assets. In Florida, the former professional wrestler known as Hulk Hogan is in a bitter court battle with his soon-to-be ex-wife over whether he must go through with the couple’s…

Aug 13, 2008 5:15 PM CDT

Charged in Daughter’s Death, Parents Sue Gov’t for Damages

Criminally charged with allowing their disabled 14-year-old daughter to die from neglect, a Pennsylvania couple have sued child welfare agencies and workers for damages over her death. Harshly criticized for doing so by government officials, Andrea Kelly, 39, and Daniel Kelly, 37, know they won’t themselves get any damages if…

Aug 12, 2008 7:10 PM CDT

Outcry By Family Lawyers, Solos Nixes Self-Help Clinic

There may be a trend nationally to establish more self-help centers in courthouses and public spaces to aid those who are choosing the pro se route in court. But not in Texas. A pilot program meant to test the self-help waters in San Antonio is sunk. The center, which in…

Aug 12, 2008 4:57 PM CDT

N.Y. Lawyer’s Ex-to-Be Might Marry Paul McCartney

Newly divorced after a bitter battle with Heather Mills, former Beatle Paul McCartney, 66, reportedly is thinking about tying the knot again. His intended is American socialite Nancy Shevell, 47. She has been separated for some time from her husband, New York attorney Bruce Blakeman, writes the British tabloid, News…

Aug 11, 2008 10:12 PM CDT

Brother IDs Wealthy Dad Who Allegedly Abducted Daughter

Authorities say they may have identified a mysterious man who allegedly abducted his 7-year-old daughter after a divorce from the wealthy socialite to whom he had been married for 12 years. The man known as Clark Rockefeller, who is now jailed in Boston in the kidnapping case, has been identified…

Aug 8, 2008 10:13 PM CDT

Tim Burton Wins Palimony Suit After Agreeing to Pay Ex $5.5M

On the eve of a scheduled trial next week, a California appeals court has thrown out a palimony suit against director Tim Burton by his former girlfriend, actress Lisa Marie. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge had ruled last month that the actress was entitled to a trial on her…

Aug 8, 2008 5:52 PM CDT

Cops Probe Mystery of Wealthy Dad’s ID in Child Kidnapping Case

Updated: Jailed without bond in Boston on a charge of kidnapping his own daughter last month, a seemingly wealthy socialite with a mysterious background has now become a “person of interest” to Los Angeles homicide detectives. Clark Rockefeller is also being investigated by the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs…

Aug 7, 2008 5:00 PM CDT

Ill. to Use GPS to Enforce Protective Orders

A new bill signed into law today by the governor of Illinois sets the stage for the state’s judges to use GPS satellite tracking to enforce protective orders. Sparked by the murder of a real estate broker by her ex-boyfriend earlier this year, the legislation is intended to provide an…

Aug 4, 2008 7:46 PM CDT

Family Lawyer Also Runs Waxing Studio

When she’s not handing divorce and child custody cases at her family law firm in Ocala, Fla., Ami DiLorenzo can often be found at the South Beach Waxing Studio. That’s because DiLorenzo owns the business, at which a former paralegal, Tracey Bisnett, is the licensed esthetician who administers the treatments…

Aug 4, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

7-Year-Old Taken By Wealthy Dad is Found Safe in Baltimore

Initially, authorities feared that Clark Rockefeller might be sailing international seas with his 7-year-old daughter in a 72-foot catamaran he reportedly told friends he bought with $300,000 worth of gold bars. But on Saturday they found father and daughter in Baltimore, where Rockefeller (apparently no relation to the famous family…

Aug 4, 2008 4:41 PM CDT

Wealthy Socialite Dad Disappears With 7-Year-Old Daughter

Reportedly concerned about her ex-husband’s unknown past, socialite Sandra Boss persuaded a judge to require his visits with their 7-year-old daughter to be supervised by a social worker. But when Reigh Boss arrived in Boston from her home in London to visit her father, Clark Rockefeller, 48, on Sunday, he…

Jul 31, 2008 5:52 PM CDT

Mass. to Allow Out-of-State Same-Sex Couples to Marry

Setting the stage for Massachusetts to become the second state in the country to allow out-of-state couples of the same gender to marry, the state’s house of representatives voted today 118 to 35 to repeal a 1913 law. It banned couples from marrying in Massachusetts if the wedding would not…

Jul 30, 2008 11:39 PM CDT

Ga. Business Owner Ordered to Pay $150K for Broken Engagement

RoseMary Shell wasn’t actually left at the altar. Instead, the middle-aged woman came home one day in late 2006, shortly before she was to get married, and discovered a note from her fiance, along with a check for $5,000, in the bathroom of their home. It said he was having…

Jul 29, 2008 6:54 PM CDT

Judge Orders Calif. Woman Back on Life Support

A central California woman who has been without food or water since July 14 is now back on life support again, after a state judge ordered that a feeding tube be reinserted. Janet Rivera, 46, has been comatose for two years, following a heart attack. Because her husband also suffers…

Jul 24, 2008 4:09 PM CDT

New Zealand Judge Renames Girl, Says ‘Talula Does the Hula’ Was Poor Choice

A fed-up judge in New Zealand thought the name “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” was an embarrassing name for a 9-year-old girl involved in a custody battle, so he decided to change it. Judge Rob Murfitt made the girl a ward of the court so he could make the…

Jul 24, 2008 2:51 PM CDT