Celebrity Divorce Blog | MyFamilyLaw » neal hersh

Melissa Etheridge, Tammy Etheridge Split Getting Ugly

K. McKinney — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 03:27:26 +0000

After splitting back in April, Melissa Etheridge and her wife, the former Tammy Lynn Michaels, are making it official. Etheridge filed to dissolve the couple’s domestic partnership in California earlier this month. The filing apparently surprised Tammy, who took to her blog and expressed anger at being blind-sided by the singer.

Tammy’s lawyer Steven Knowles now says that Etheridge has not been providing any financial support to Tammy or their two children since they split this spring. Knowles says Tammy has a grand total of $4 to her name. Tammy was a working actress when the couple got together in 2001 but hasn’t worked regularly since giving birth to twins in 2006.

This week, Tammy filed a petition for dissolution of marriage. According to Knowles, even though Tammy and Melissa were not legally married in California, “They were married in their own eyes and in the eyes of the world … and Melissa was the first to say they were, in fact, married.” (Same-sex marriage was legal in California for about six months in 2008.)

TMZ says that Tammy’s petition requests the award of spousal support and asserts that she can’t get spousal support if she is not “married.” While technically true, this is pretty misleading. California law does allow splitting domestic partners to receive “partner support” upon dissolution of a domestic partnership. (Etheridge’s petition does ask that Tammy be denied any award of partner support.)

Etheridge asked for joint legal and physical custody of the kids but Tammy is asking for full legal and physical custody. Knowles says Melissa can’t possibly be a participant in the custody agreement because her schedule makes it impossible to be a meaningful parent.

Melissa’s lawyer, Neal Hersh, commented that “Melissa is paying all of Tammy’s expenses, which totals tens of thousands of dollars per month.” (My guess is that Etheridge is paying household bills – mortgage, utilities, etc. – but that Tammy has no access to cash for daily expenses like food and gas. Not sure whether she has access to joint credit cards or if she had any individual assets remaining in her name since the 2003 commitment.)

Hersh has previously represented Kim Basinger, Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson, Eddie Cibrian, Halle Berry and other celebs in their divorces. He recently filed a divorce petition on behalf of Kelsey Grammer’s wife, Camille Grammer.

Knowles was a partner at Trope & Trope for 25 years before starting his own firm. While at Trope & Trope, Knowles worked with Nicole Kidman and Britney Spears.

Library Topics: domestic partnership, petition for dissolution, same-sex marriage, same-sex divorce, spousal support, legal custody, physical custody, custody agreement

See Also:

Melissa Etheridge, Tammy Etheridge Split

Kelsey Grammer & Camille Grammer Split

K. McKinney — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:53:54 +0000

Actor Kelsey Grammer’s third wife, Camille Grammer (formerly Camille Donatacci) filed for divorce in a Los Angeles court last week, citing the no-fault grounds of irreconcilable differences. She asked the court for joint legal custody and primary physical custody of their daughter Mason,age 8, and son Jude, age 5, as well as spousal support.

The divorce petition was filed by Camille’s divorce attorney, Neal Hersh. Hersh has previously represented Kim Basinger, Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson, Eddie Cibrian, Halle Berry and other celebs in their divorces.

Kelsey is currently in New York appearing on Broadway in the musical La Cage Aux Folles, and was recently nominated for a Tony Award. Camille, a former Playboy model, is rumored to be starring on Bravo’s upcoming Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Rumors indicate that, since Kelsey went to New York for La Cage, he has been disengaged from Camille and the children – instead wrapped up in his New York life and friends. The couple have been married since August 1997. Their two children were both born via a surrogate.

Kelsey has two other children from previous relationships. His daughter Spencer is 26 and was born to Kelsey and his first wife, Doreen Alderman. His 18-year-old daughter Greer was born during his marriage to Leigh-Anne Cushany – but her mother is Barrie Bucker, not Cushany.

Library Topics: divorce, no-fault divorce grounds, joint legal custody, primary physical custody, spousal support, divorce attorney

Larry King Files for Eighth Divorce

K. McKinney — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:31:41 +0000

Legendary talk show host Larry King filed papers in a Los Angeles court this week to divorce his wife of 13 years, Shawn Southwick King. This will be King’s eighth divorce. The couple has two children together, Cannon, 9, and Chance, 11. Southwick King was married three times before.

King’s divorce complaint asks for joint custody of the children and a denial of spousal support to Southwick King.

Southwick King also filed divorce pleadings of her own. In her filing, she asks the family court to declare the following her separate property — their Beverly Hills mansion, a house in Provo, Utah, and a house in St. George, Utah. According to TMZ.com, King transferred these properties to his wife several years ago, after she confronted him about having an extramarital affair with her sister, Shannon. That suspicion is reportedly behind the divorce filings as well. Both King and his sister-in-law reportedly deny any relationship.

In King’s pleadings, he requests that the transfers be voided. There is reportedly no prenuptial agreement – which means that Southwick King is entitled to an equal share of any marital property under California’s community property laws. King is rumored to be worth $144 million and is halfway through a four-year contract with CNN worth $56 million. Any assets accumulated over the last 13 years are subject to division.

The Lawyers

Southwick King is represented by Joseph Mannis of the law firm Hersh, Mannis & Bogen. Mannis currently represents actor Dennis Hopper in his pending divorce . His law partner Neal Hersh has previously represented the likes of Kim Basinger and Brad Pitt.

She has been seen meeting with celebrity divorce attorney Robert Kaufman in the past few days as well. Kaufman has handled divorces for Jennifer Aniston, Rupert Murdoch and Mel Gibson among others.

King is represented by Susan Carter and Dennis Wasser of Wasser, Cooperman and Carter. Dennis Wasser is currently representing Jamie McCourt, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers in what has been described as the most expensive divorce in California history. He previously represented Tom Cruise in his divorce from Nicole Kidman.

Library Topics: divorce, joint custody, spousal support, prenuptial agreement, extramarital affair, marital property, community property

Eddie Cibrian’s Wife Asks for More Money

K. McKinney — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:54:22 +0000

CSI:Miami’s Eddie Cibrian filed for divorce from wife Brandi Glanville back in August, after going public with his relationship with singer/actress LeAnn Rimes. Glanville filed paperwork in a Los Angeles court this week, requesting additional temporary support from Cibrian.

She says Cibrian controls her credit card and pays only her household bills. Glanville claims that Cibrian cut off her access to cash for things like food and gas by lowering her card’s credit limit and prohibiting cash advances on it. The former couple has two young sons.

Glanville, a former model but current stay-at-home mom, requests at least $39,963 in monthly support from Cibrian. She says she needs $11,942 to cover her mortgage, $4,000 a month for food and eating out, $3,000 for clothes, $1,500 for child care, $750 for Pilates and another $750 for massages and facials, among other needs.

Cibrian purportedly grosses $60,000 per week from CSI: Miami.

Cibrian’s attorney, Neal Raymond Hersh, told media outlets: “Nothing could be further from the truth. Eddie’s responsibility as a father is his highest priority. He has been and will continue to be responsible to the children as well as Brandi. The parties are very working together to resolve the issues of custody and money.”

Cibrian will ultimately be required to pay child support for the couple’s sons until they reach 18. It is highly probable that Cibrian will also be required to pay spousal support to Glanville for some period of time. The amount of that spousal support (which is sometimes referred to as alimony or maintenance) will be determined by a judge (unless the parties come to a settlement agreement) based upon certain factors.

The California family law court will consider the standard of living established during the marriage; the marketable skills of Glanville; the extent to which Glanville’s earning capacity has been impaired by staying at home with the children; and the extent to which Glanville contributed to Cibrian’s ability to establish his career over the course of their eight-year marriage.

Additionally, the court will consider: the assets and debts of each party; the duration of the marriage; Glanville’s ability to be employed without disrupting the lives of the children; and other relevant factors.

A hearing on Glanville’s request is set for Nov. 23.

Khloe Kardashian & Lamar Odom Marriage Not Legal Yet

MyFamilyLaw Admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:25:16 +0000

Despite the gowns, tuxedos, paparazzi and bling that accompanied reality TV star Khloe Kardashian and NBA player Lamar Odom’s nuptial event this weekend, it now appears that our speculation was accurate. According to reports, the wedding was not a legally binding ceremony.

Kardashian and Odom began negotiating a prenuptial agreement just last Friday, two days before their ceremony. In order for a prenup to be valid and enforceable, a court will generally require that the parties have had a reasonable period of time to consider the agreement before signing. So, it looks like Sunday’s wedding was for show (Literally. It was filmed and paid for by the Keeping Up with the Kardashians reality television crew.) Kardashian and Odom’s timing was the result of the TV show and the upcoming NBA season.

Purportedly, as soon as the couple has reached an agreement, they will marry legally. That won’t happen until Odom’s attorney Neal Hersh and Kardashian’s attorney Lisa Helfend Meyer hammer out an agreement.

Hersh knows his way around celebrity family law, having represented Kim Basinger, Brad Pitt, Pamela Anderson and Halle Berry in their divorces. Meyer previously represented Donna D’Errico in her custody fights with ex-husband Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx and billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s third wife, Lisa Bonder Kerkorian.

Also See:

Lamar Odom & Khloe Kardashian: Prenup Problems?

Eddie Cibrian Files for Divorce Amidst Rumors of Affair

K. McKinney — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:09:36 +0000

Actor Eddie Cibrian has filed for divorce from his wife of eight years, Brandi Glanville. Rumors of trouble between these two heated up this spring when Cibrian was seen on surveillance video on an apparent date with singer LeAnn Rimes. Rimes and Cibrian co-starred in a Lifetime movie, filmed last fall. Cibrian has starred in several television series including Third Watch and and Baywatch Nights.

At the time, all parties involved denied any extramarital affair and both couples seemed to go out of their way to put on a happy face for the media. Then, Rimes and her husband of seven years, Dean Sheremet, put their Nashville mansion on the market in May. Even after that news, Rimes still denied that a divorce was in the works.

Finally, in July, Cibrian and Glanville announced their separation. Glanville took immediately to the media, accusing Rimes of stalking Cibrian. Sources then told the tabloids that Rimes and Sheremet had, in fact, been separated for “quite some time”. Just last week, Rimes and Cibrian appeared together in public on a golf outing – apparently now confirming their relationship.

Both marriages occurred after the famous spouse achieved some degree of fame but it is unknown whether there are prenuptial agreements in place. In modern day America, it is unlikely that either Cibrian or Glanville will be “punished” financially in family court for their indiscretions. While “no-fault divorce” officially refers to the legal grounds for divorce, most family courts look to divide marital property equally or close to equally, even where there has been adultery by one party.

Glanville and Cibrian have two sons: Mason, 6, and Jake, 2. Rimes and Sheremet have no children.

UPDATE: Cibrian is represented in the divorce by noted L.A. family law attorney Neal Hersh. Hersh previously represented Kim Basinger and Brad Pitt in their divorces.

Jane Kaczmarek & Bradley Whitford Divorcing

K. McKinney — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:20:52 +0000

Malcolm in the Middle star Jane Kaczmarek and her husband Bradley Whitford (from The West Wing) are divorcing after almost 17 years of marriage. Whitford filed for divorce last month. Kaczmarek filed her response in Los Angeles this week.

The couple married in 1992. Whitford had several small acting roles under his belt by then but his profile didn’t rise substantially until seven years later when he was cast in the hit TV show The West Wing. Kaczmarek appeared as a guest star in many shows and had a role in a short-lived series just prior to the marriage. She achieved fame though in 2000 as the mother in Malcolm in the Middle.

Kaczmarek and Whitford have three children, Frances (11), George (9) and Mary (6). I haven’t seen Whitford’s original filing but Kaczmarek has asked the court to order joint legal custody but award her physical custody of the kids with visitation for Whitford. Some of the gossip sites have made a big deal about this request today. It doesn’t seem that scandalous to me.

If Kaczmarek sought sole legal custody – trying to shut Whitford out of any decision-making authority over the children – THAT would be a big surprise and a very aggressive move. But a request by one parent for physical custody and visitation to the other is fairly typical. I anticipate that these two will ultimately work out a parenting schedule that will work for them and their three children.

Kaczmarek’s filing does not suggest that there was a prenuptial agreement so there may be substantial property division issues to be resolved. Alimony seems to be out of the picture. Kaczmarek did not request any in her paperwork and asked the court to terminate Whitford’s right to seek alimony from her. Although I haven’t reviewed Whitford’s filing, I haven’t read any reports which suggest that he asked for any alimony either.

Whitford is represented by L.A.-based family law attorney Neal Hersh. Hersh has previously represented Kim Basinger, Halle Berry, Brad Pitt and Pamela Anderson among others. Kaczmarek’s attorney is Dan Jaffe, who has previously represented Kimora Lee Simmons, Anne Heche and media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s first wife Anna Murdoch.