The devastation recently unleashed on New Jersey by nature in the form of Hurricane Sandy, has left many residents struggling. For many, daily routines and the little things that make life comfortable are gone. While the state will recover, for many the road to recovery will be long and hard and may have unforeseen complications.
Rock star memorabilia auction complicated by divorce
Often one of the most critical and contentious steps in the establishment of a couple's divorce is the divvying up of physical property. The longer a couple has been married, the more valuable possessions are mutually accumulated and the more difficult it becomes to clearly determine a proper owner. Hoping to avoid a drawn-out and bitter situation, some couples opt to auction off items of high value that might lack an obvious legal owner.
One very famous rock and roll couple did just that late last month. Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and his ex-wife Jo sold an assortment of artwork and memorabilia at a Beverly Hills auction as part of their divorce settlement. Wood, who has played many a memorable show in New Jersey over the more than four decades he has been a part of The Rolling Stones, has made plans along with his ex-wife to donate part of the auction's proceeds to charity.
Help available for small-town domestic violence victims
In the state of New Jersey 14 different legal offenses may be categorized as "domestic violence," including kidnapping, criminal restraint, sexual assault, and burglary. These and other specific notions pair with a wide state definition of a potential domestic violence victim that includes married or divorced couples, children, siblings, and roommates offers law enforcement a solid legal framework with which to investigate reports and offenses.
Recently it has been revealed that even in smaller towns such as Verona and Cedar Grove, police respond to domestic violence calls once per week or more. For officers, such a broad and polysemic outline for domestic violence is not without its reasoning. Indeed, "the definition of a domestic violence victim is very broad, to offer them as much protection as possible under the law," the Cedar Grove Police Chief commented earlier this week.
New Jersey divorce rate may mean more complex divorces
In the past, couples who married did so for life. Marital discord and problems related to infidelity, domestic violence and general unhappiness by both parties were largely ignored and couples stayed together through the good and bad. Today, many couples chose to divorce for a variety of reasons and the American divorce rate hovers around 50 percent.
Joe and Tina Simpson divorce, likely complex and contentious
When a couple who've been married for a considerable number of years decides to divorce, it's often viewed by outsiders with much speculation. The most recent such couple to announce they have decided to file for divorce is Joe and Tina Simpson. Best known for having two famous daughters, the couple has amassed a considerable amount of wealth and assets throughout the years.
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Why did Mitt Romney testify in high-asset divorce?
When high net-worth couples divorce in New Jersey, the property division process can become very complicated. New Jersey family law states that the division of marital property must be fair and equitable, but this does not always mean a simple 50/50 split. In order to negotiate an equitable division, all of the marital assets must be assigned an accurate value. To do this, high net-worth divorce attorneys often bring in various professionals to appraise property.
An example of this process appeared last week when a court released testimony that presidential candidate Mitt Romney provided in a 1991 post-divorce lawsuit. In that case, Romney--who was then the owner and chief executive of Bain Capital--was asked to provide his opinion on the value of Staples' stock. The husband in the case was the founder of Staples, and it was thus important to determine the value of the company's stock in order to ensure a fair divorce settlement.
What the holidays can mean for single parents
For most families, the upcoming holidays can be a stressful time filled with strategic plans for what family to visit first and what sort of time schedule needs to be kept. But for newly divorced families, this stress can be compounded by powerful emotions coupled with new schedules that they may not have had time to adjust to yet.
Many experts will point out that even though it may not be the first thing parents think about when going through divorce proceedings, it is important to keep the holidays in mind. Having a set schedule such as who will get custody of the kids on what holiday and for how long may help relieve some of the stress associated with the season.
New Jersey court decides international custody dispute
When parents divorce, the ensuing child custody battle is often riddled with accusations and assertions from both sides. Custody battles between parents who live in the same city can be complex. When a child custody dispute is waged internationally, the stakes and complexity of the case are much higher.
When older divorced parents need assistance
As we have reported in the past, divorce among the baby boomer generation is on the rise in New Jersey and elsewhere. What this means is that a larger number of older people than ever before are going to be alone during their golden years, and they could be depending more on their children.
In fact, according to a study published recently in the journal The Gerontologist, one out of three members of the baby boomer generation is currently unmarried, and 60 percent of these individuals are divorced. Unfortunately, the study concluded that unmarried baby boomers face a greater chance of being poor and not having health insurance than their married counterparts.
'What's divorce mediation?' you ask
Maybe New Jersey residents didn't hear the news: Oct. 18 was Mediation Settlement Day. But really any day is a good day for individuals going through a divorce to consider the benefits of mediation.
"What is mediation?" you might ask. Well, divorce mediation, otherwise known as collaborative divorce, involves a single mediator -- usually an attorney -- who helps the couple come to a divorce agreement that satisfies the needs and desires of everyone involved, including the children. Generally speaking, mediation is a humane way of going about resolving a range of conflicts, but people in New Jersey and throughout the country have found the process to be especially suited for divorce and family law.
