Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog

How To Divorce A Bully :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: July 18, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “Can any attorney help me with my family law needs in North Carolina?”

A recent article in USA Today discussed the difficulties that can arise when someone tries to divorce a bully. The author of the piece focused on scenarios where one spouse is high-powered and the other often feels powerless, often financially. The author said that to even what can sometimes be an unfair playing field it’s important that the spouse who feels victimized take steps to protect themselves.

The first thing mentioned by the author, Elizabeth MacBride, is that if the bullying ever becomes physical you must extricate yourself from the situation immediately. Even if you aren’t yet financially ready, you have to do what’s best to protect yourself and your children and get yourself out of a potentially dangerous situation.

If you are physically secure and the bullying is more financial or emotional, the following are some tips to getting away from a bullying or overly controlling spouse. One tip proposed by MacBride is to put aside money. Even if you do not have an income stream of your own you can start taking spending money and putting it aside in your own account. Having access to your own funds, enough to fight a spouse over what can sometimes be a lengthy divorce battle, is crucial to ensure you get a fair share.

Another bit of advice when splitting from a bully is to make sure to get your own copies of everything important. You want to be sure you have your own financial records to give your attorney and not have to trust that your spouse is turning over everything you need. You can begin gathering these documents before filing for divorce, calling your banks or other financial institutions and asking for recent statements.

South Carolina Supreme Court Issues Final Decision In Baby Veronica Case :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: July 16, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What can I do to gain custody of my child in North Carolina?”

The South Carolina Supreme Court issued an important decision earlier this week when it decided Baby Veronica, the young adopted girl at the center of a major legal dispute, should be returned to her adoptive parents, the Capobiancos, in Charleston, SC. This meant that the girl will be removed from her biological father, Dusten Brown, who successfully sued before the very same South Carolina Supreme Court to take custody of the girl last year.

The decision, 3-2, ruled that the girl should immediately be returned to the adoptive parents’ custody and that the lower court should immediately move to finalize the couple’s adoption. The couple will see their daughter for the first time in 18 months since Brown successfully sued to reassert his parental rights, claiming that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) prevented him from signing away his parental rights.

The case ended up making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court which ruled last month in a 5-4 decision that ICWA was never designed for cases like this where the Indian parent (Brown is 2 percent Cherokee) voluntarily chose to terminate his or her own parental rights. Instead, ICWA was meant to prevent the forcible breakup of Indian homes. The Supreme Court remanded the case to South Carolina for reconsideration and to determine which home would be in the best interest of the child.

Nebraska Supreme Court Throws Out $100 Million Lawsuit Against Divorce Attorney :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: July 11, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “When do you get alimony?”

A woman in Omaha is likely pretty unhappy today after a recent ruling by the Nebraska Supreme Court regarding her divorce case. The woman, Mary Kay Young, had filed suit against her former divorce attorney for $100 million, claiming the woman, Pamela Govier, cost her a fortune by providing bad legal advice.

The lawsuit by Young was filed last year after Young realized just how bad of a deal she got from her 2006 split. Young claimed that her attorney gave her bad advice by telling her to accept a divorce settlement that would pay her a $3 million lump sum as well as $12,500 in monthly alimony for up to 10 years. $3 million up front and $150,000 a year? Sounds fantastic, right?

Sure, the money is nothing to sneeze at, but put in perspective it’s not such a great deal. The problem in the case is that Young’s husband, Henry Davis, was a very wealthy CEO of a major midwestern meat packing company. Young says that by signing onto the agreement advocated by her attorney, she missed out on what could have been half of her husband’s $192 million marital estate.

The state Supreme Court upheld the ruling by a lower court judge who found that Young never sufficiently proved negligence by her attorney. Young further claimed that the settlement agreement signed with her ex-husband should have been voided because it was executed under duress. The judge also rejected that contention, claiming that no proof of such duress was ever shown.

The Supreme Court also ruled on another strange aspect of the divorce case, saying that Young was not allowed to force her ex-husband to take a physical so she can buy a $1 million life insurance policy on him. Young’s attorney argued the policy was necessary to secure future child support payments by Davis in the event that he dies prematurely.

Two Studies Discuss Happiness Post-Divorce :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: July 9, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “How long does getting a divorce take?”

Everyone knows that divorce is an emotionally grueling process. Most everyone experiences moments of deep sadness, frustration, anger and hurt given the demise of their marriage. Despite the bad times, ending an unhappy relationship can often be the best choice for couples who are simply not a good match. Once the short-term pain is done, plenty of people end up looking back on the decision as the right choice.

According to researchers in England, gender might play a role in how satisfied with the divorce a person is. Scientists say that women tend to be happier with their lives after divorce than men. The study, conducted by researchers at London’s Kingston University surveyed 100,000 divorced individuals over a period of 20 years checking in about their happiness and general satisfaction with life.

The findings, which were recently compiled into an article for the journal, Economica, showed that while men were somewhat happier, women were substantially more content with their post-divorce lives.

Study authors say they took into account that divorce can sometimes cause a negative financial impact on women. Given this financial pinch often felt by women, researchers say they expected to see more negative reactions from women but were surprised to find they still end up more content following a difficult split.

In another survey conducted by Professor Richard Lucas at Michigan State University, data shows that it can take a very long time for this satisfaction to occur. Lucas’ research shows that the level of satisfaction with life does not fully recover to pre-divorce levels for most people until six years after the divorce.

Are Couples Really Fighting Over Frequent Flyer Miles? Absolutely :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: June 20, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What can I do to gain custody of my child in North Carolina?”

A recent article in Forbes Magazine discussed how common it is for couples to have disputes when dividing marital assets. Everyone understands that there might be disagreements over mutual funds or retirement accounts, maybe fights over the value of the house or who gets what portion of the checking account. However, the author of the Forbes article pointed out that it’s not at all uncommon for couples to get into a dispute over who gets frequent flyer miles.

Though the idea might sound ridiculous, the author says the matter can be quite serious as the value of the “asset” can be substantial. Couples who have amassed tens or hundreds of thousands of miles or reward points over the course of their marriage realize that these things do have value and are often unwilling to simply hand them over to the other party. Serious reward users know that even points can lead to some fabulous first class trips and are worth a little bit of back and forth.

Though there may be value to the miles, the trick comes in dividing them, after all, it’s not a retirement account that can simply be split in two. The first step in dividing miles is to check terms and conditions of your reward programs. This can be incredibly tedious so brace yourself. One good example of the problems involved in dividing reward points is Marriott’s program which specifically says that points will not be transferred in the event of a divorce. Rather than try and force Marriott to divide your points, it’s best to just award them to one party and offset the award either with other points or by assigning value to them and paying your spouse.

Four Behaviors That Destroy Marriages :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: June 18, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “How long does getting a divorce take?”

A recent article discussed how studies have shown that there are four behaviors that experts agree are most often responsible for the destruction of a marriage. In fact, the results show that by watching just 15 minutes of interaction, an expert can predict with a 90 percent accuracy whether a couple will still be together in five years.

The ability to predict a split is not due to fortune telling, but instead because researchers have found a list of four behaviors that are clearly linked to destructive relationships. The first one is accusation. Researchers refer to this as the kiss of death for most marriages and it happens when one or both spouses have a tendency to assign blame towards their partner, especially without knowing the full story. Experts say to avoid the problem and have a happy marriage, it’s important to try and give your spouse the benefit of the doubt. Assume the best, rather than the worst. Also, work on rephrasing accusations as questions, which are much less confrontational.

Next is escalation and this happens when one or both partners attempt to deflect blame by escalating arguments. Rather than respond to a complaint with another complaint, try and stay calm. Remember that it’s better to be in love than it is to be right. Try and be understanding and move towards resolution of a problem rather than fight to get one over on your spouse.

The third destructive relationship behavior is invalidation. When one person invalidates their partner it means they discredit or weaken them in some way, either by constantly belittling them or focusing on negative aspects of their personality rather than recognizing all the positives. This problem is very similar to bullying and happens when one or both parties feel the need to put the other in their place, constantly highlighting flaws or mistakes. Though this might work for a short time in getting your way, eventually the bullied spouse will tire of the treatment and call it quits, often shocking the other spouse who did not see the split coming.

Oil Billionaire Braces For Potentially Record-Setting Divorce Settlement :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: June 13, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What does uncontested divorce mean?”

The divorce of oil tycoon Harold Hamm has already been a dramatic affair. First there were the allegations of infidelity, then came news of secret audiotapes. Now that the case appears to be winding down, the issue that has everyone talking is the amount of the final settlement, forecasted to be among the largest in history.

Hamm, worth at least $11 billion, is preparing to divorce his wife of 25 years, Sue Ann. Though efforts have been made to keep the financial information quiet, experts have discovered that the two never signed a prenuptial agreement at the time of their marriage, meaning Sue Ann stands to profit handsomely from the arrangement.

Given that Hamm owns more oil than any other American, the fight for the money will be intense. The case has been a complex one, with one report of 50,000 pages of corporate information being turned over. The only issue that has been settled is that the case will move forward as “no-fault”, meaning the accusations of cheating will stay out of the remainder of the case.

Another issue that some experts believe has been resolved, and one that could prove critical to the size of the eventual settlement, is the date of separation. Though the issue may sound insignificant, in this case it could add several zeros to the end of any financial settlement between the parties. Harold Hamm previously argued in court filings that the date of separation was 2003, when the two parties filed for divorce on an earlier occasion and began sleeping in separate bedrooms. Sue Ann Hamm claims the date of separation was in May of 2012.

Supreme Court Issues Important Ruling In Native American Adoption Case :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: June 11, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “Can you guarantee I will get the resolution I want?”

The Supreme Court issued a much-anticipated decision this week in the case of Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl. The case concerned the power of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) to allow a man with Cherokee ancestry to rescind his decision to terminate his parental rights and take back custody of his young daughter. The Supreme Court voted 5-4 to reverse and remand the case back to South Carolina.

Rather than broadly reinterpret ICWA, the Court decided to rule narrowly that the law did not apply in the case. The Court decided not to attack ICWA itself, a prospect that worried Native American groups that were concerned about the lack of protection its destruction could mean for Indian families.

The background of the case involves a Hispanic woman, Christy Maldonado, who gave birth in 2009 to a child fathered by Dusten Brown, a member of the Cherokee Nation. Maldonado decided to put the child up for adoption after she and Brown broke off their engagement and ultimately chose a white couple from South Carolina to serve as the girl’s parents. Brown signed away his parental rights to avoid paying child support and only years later did he say that this was a mistake and that he wanted to reassert his parental rights and take custody over the little girl. Because of his Cherokee lineage, Brown won custody of the girl.

So You’re Divorced And You Want To Buy A House… :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: June 6, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “I’m not getting along with my husband. We’ve been married two weeks and it was a mistake. Can’t I just get an annulment?”

These days it seems like getting a mortgage under the best of circumstances is already hard enough. After all, the banks have tightened requirements and now demand detailed explanations of income, proof of the source of money and lengthy explanations of debt. You might think that given the financial havoc divorce can cause that the chances of getting a house are slim to none. Thankfully that isn’t true so long as you follow a plan.

According to a recent Yahoo Finance article, the trick to getting a mortgage after a divorce is to provide the most complete and honest picture of your financial health. Help the bank understand your financial situation by showing them your divorce decree, any child support obligations and any spousal support payments that go in or out of your accounts. All these things can play a role in whether you will be approved for a loan and it’s best to hand them all over to your banker right away.

The good news if you receive money in the form of child support or alimony is that you can count this income towards what you need to qualify for the mortgage. So long as the income is set to continue for three years then the bank will consider that income stream as part of your application. However, if you are the one making child support or alimony payments, the bank will reduce your borrowing ability as this income cannot be counted towards what you could contribute to your mortgage.

If you were divorced a long time ago you might not realize that the mortgage company will still want to see your divorce decree. Though it may seem surprising given the time that has passed, there’s no statute of limitations on mortgage underwriting and the bank will want to make sure you are not financially on the hook for anything even decades after a split.

Allen Iverson In Custody Fight After Claims He Abducted His Children :: Separation and Divorce Lawyers in Charlotte, North Carolina

Published on: June 4, 2013 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What rules are there for Father’s Right in NC?”

Former professional basketball player Allen Iverson’s already messy divorce appears to be getting worse. Just this past week his ex-wife, Tawanna Iverson, filed documents with a family law court saying that the former Philadelphia 76ers star has taken the couple’s five children and refused to return them.

The latest incident is one in a long string of custody fights the couple has engaged in since they initiated the divorce process. In February, Tawanna won full custody after a family law judge decided that Allen was not capable of managing the children in his current state. The judge ordered that Allen begin seeing a psychiatrist and attend AA meetings for at least one year. Allen was only granted visitation rights in specific circumstances, including that he not consume alcohol within 24 hours of a visit.

The family law judge said that Allen was at times a hindrance to the development of his children and that, if he wanted to see more of them, he would have to invest some time into learning more appropriate ways of interacting with them. Allen called the decision unfair and one-sided and appealed, an appeal he lost in March of this year.

In this most recent case, Tawanna claims Allen has refused to return the five children after he took them for an alleged vacation, something Tawanna believes may never have even happened. According to the court documents, Allen asked permission to take the children to Charlotte, NC for several days in late May for a short vacation. However, when Allen was supposed to return the children they were nowhere to be found. Tawanna claims she tried to set up an exchange at a neutral location, a nearby Target, but that Allen never bothered to show up. Tawanna says she has reliable information that Allen never took the children to Charlotte at all and instead is staying with them at a Sheraton in Atlanta.