This week’s celebrity news has been overwhelmed by news of Jesse James’ alleged infidelity in his marriage to Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock. Bullock reportedly moved out of the couple’s home in southern California after another woman reported that she had carried on an 11-month affair with James last year.

Bullock and James have been married for five years and Bullock is, by all accounts, an involved stepmother to James’ three kids (Chandler, Jesse Jr. and Sunny). She even testified in court in support of James’ efforts to keep custody of six-year-old Sunny against James’ ex-wife, porn star Janine Lindemulder.

Now, though, Bullock faces a possible divorce from James and the loss of the children. As a stepmother, she does not have any legal rights or obligations regarding the children of an ex-spouse.

She is not a biological or adoptive parent to any of the children. So, despite the fact that she apparently has been very involved in raising Sunny for as long as the child can remember, any visitation she may have will be dependent on what the children’s parents determine. As both mother and father of all three children (the older two were from James’ first marriage; Sunny from his second) are all still living and involved in their children’s lives, it is unlikely that a court would grant stepparent visitation over the objection of either legal parent.

Another potential implication of this split could be renewed turmoil in James’ custody case against Lindemulder. James and Bullock presented a united front and a stable household when seeking custody of Sunny. Now that his home life seems less than stable, Lindemulder could go back to court with a modification request.

Library Topics: adultery, custody, divorce, visitation, stepparent visitation, modification of child custody

See Also:

• Jesse James Gets Custody as Ex Heads to Prison
• Jesse James Goes Back to Court over Daughter with Janine Lindemulder
• Jesse James Wins Custody Battle with Janine Lindemulder