More than half of marriages in the U.S. will end in divorce. So why not plan for a worst-case scenario and get a prenuptial agreement before saying the words "I do"?
ABC News reports that 73 percent of attorneys with the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers said that they saw an increase in the signing of prenuptial agreement and 52 percent of attorneys reported an increase in woman seeking prenuptial agreements. Lawyers say that there are many factors that have contributed to a woman's desire for prenup, including the rise in women being the main family breadwinners.
Some state officials in Arizona feel that the current child support system is unfair and are proposing a new plan in the state called Child Outcome Based Support (COBS). KPHO reports that the goal of this plan is to create the same standard of living in both the households of the custodial parent and the non-custodial parent.
In situations where one parent makes significantly more money than the other, the parent with higher earnings might be ordered to pay more money to the other parent so that the living situations at each of the houses can be similar. Yet this child support system has recently been criticized many parents and Phoenix family lawyers because money simply goes to the other spouse under this system with no guarantee that the money is spent on the child.
Many people strongly believe that gay marriage will become accepted with time. The question is "When will this change in acceptance occur?"
The Phoenix New Times reports that a study conducted by statistician Hank Pellissier shows that the majority of people in Arizona will support same-sex marriage in the year 2015. The statistician, who works for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies, claims that the trend in public opinion is shifting in favor of allowing gays to wed at a quicker rate than ever before.
As we reported in an earlier blog post, Pinal County is just one of four Arizona counties that has its own child support division. Most other counties operate child support payments under the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
According to the Arizona Republic, the child support division of the Pinal County Attorney's Office has developed a reputation for having little tolerance for deadbeat parents that don't pay child support. A judge sentences at least one person in the county to jail for not paying their court-ordered child support just about every week.
The state of Arizona has a new reason to encourage people to adopt children from foster care.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, each state can receive $4,000 for every child adopted beyond their best year's total. States can also receive an additional $8,000 for every child over the age of 9 that is adopted out of foster care and an additional $4,000 for every special needs child that is adopted above the respective baselines for the state.
The paternal grandparents of 5-year-old Nathaniel Guequierre were granted custody of the child after an Indiana judge determined that the boy's biological parents could not provide a suitable home for him. Yet this didn't stop Nathaniel Guequierre's mother from taking care of her son.
The Arizona Republic reports that the 5-year-old disappeared from his grandparents' Indiana home last December, but Arizona authorities recently found the boy with his biological mother in front of a home in the town of Buckeye. Detectives were able to locate the child after receiving anonymous tips of the mother and child's whereabouts. The young boy was found to be unharmed, but nonetheless he was still placed in the care of Child Protective Services until the boy could be returned to his grandparents.
Family lawyers representing the adult children of Irvine Co. chairman Donald Bren argued in court that the billionaire should pay more than $130 million in back child support payments. Yet a jury sided with Donald Bren with a 9-3 verdict, according to ABC News. It looks like the father doesn't have to provide anymore support or even have any contact whatsoever with his 22-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son.
As we reported in an earlier blog post, Donald Bren had been accused of not following through with a verbal agreement to pay his children $400,000 per month. Yet family law attorneys representing the billionaire land developer claim that such an agreement never existed and that Donald Bren actually has paid over $9 million to support his children that he had with ex-girlfriend Jennifer McKay Gold.
The 19-year-old girl that gave birth to a baby in the University of Arizona residence hall in February 2009 has reached a plea deal with prosecutors in a very depressing child abuse case. KVOA News reports that the now 21-year-old Sarah Tatum has agreed to plead guilty to charges of aggravated assault and child abuse with death or serious injury likely. The young woman was initially charged with attempted first-degree murder and child abuse before the plea agreement was arranged.
Sarah Tatum's arrest came after UA students told authorities that they saw the teenager put her baby in a plastic bag at the foot of her bed after giving birth. However, the young woman told investigators that she thought she had miscarried when giving birth to her baby boy in 2009.
It looks like Jesse James didn't take long to get back on the dating wagon after his divorce from actress Sandra Bullock. Various media sources report that Jesse James is now dating tattoo artist Kat Von D, who was featured on the TLC series LA Ink. Apparently, their relationship is getting pretty serious.
Kat Von D, 28, told People Magazine at the opening of her Wonderland gallery in West Hollywood, "Jesse is only my ninth boyfriend. I don't hang out with anybody unless I am in love." With a new girl in his arms, some fans might be wondering if Jesse James' daughter will continue to have a close relationship with his ex Sandra Bullock. As we reported in an earlier blog post, the actor said that he was planning on moving to Texas so that his daughter Sunny can continue to see Sandra.
If you've ever been to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office website (www.MSCO.org), you may have noticed the Hall of Shame, which lists Arizona's most wanted deadbeat parents. The Hall of Shame is the actual name that Sheriff Joe Arpaio has given to these people who allegedly owe large sums of child support.
Phoenix family lawyers may argue that this website is not only humiliating to the people listed in the Hall of Shame, but that the website also lists information about the alleged deadbeat parents that has not yet been proven true. The Hall of Shame currently lists the names of 100 individuals that allegedly owe at least $20,000 in child support, along with a photo of the parent, date of birth of the parent, and description of the parent's appearance. Many parents listed in the Hall of Shame have had an arrest warrant issued for being delinquent on child support payments.
Saul Hudson, also known as Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, has filed for divorce after nine years of marriage to his wife Perla Ferrar. CBS News reports that the guitarist filed for the dissolution of marriage through the Los Angeles County Superior Court based on irreconcilable differences.
