Mississippi Family Law Blog

The old saying is that "Hell Hath no Fury like a Woman Scorned." Well, it appears it applies to men as well. In South Carolina, a man is running his own ad campaign against a local politician he claims had an affair with his ex-wife. According to the article, the man was granted a divorce based on charges of adultery between the wife and the politician. It appears the ex-husband is not over the divorce and is ensuring everyone in the community knows about the affair.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Family Law News

Bookmark:

Bernie Ebbers' wife files for divorce in Madison County, Mississippi

Bernie Ebbers' wife filed for divorce from her imprisoned husband in Madison County, Mississippi this last week. Ebbers was sent to prison in 2006 after his conviction for securities fraud and conspiracy while head of WorldCom. He is not expected to be released from prison until 2028. According to the Clarion-Ledger article, the couple married in 1999 and Ms. Ebbers still resides in their Bridgewater home in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Family Law News , Hodgepodge

Bookmark:

YouTube video of wife upset at husband

Tricia Walsh-Smith is now the poster child of what not to do when going through a divorce. Unhappy with how her husband is treating her in the divorce and unhappy with the prenuptial agreement she signed, this wife decided to make a video where she talks about how she is being mistreated, how her sex life with her husband (or lack thereof), and other various complaints. Then she posted the video to YouTube for everyone to see. While it can make fascinating video for our voyeuristic society, it will do little to advance her cause in court. In fact, it will most likely hurt her case.

Maybe she was after her 15 minutes of fame. If so, she definitely got it as the video has been viewed over 150,000 times and stories surrounding the video are everywhere. The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, CNN, People Magazine, and London Daily Mail have all run stories on the video. However, if she was attempting to help her case, I suspect the judge will be less than pleased with her starring role in her version of the War of the Roses.

Word of advice. Don't make a video lashing out at your ex or soon to be ex--it will not be well received in court.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Family Law News

Bookmark:

Covenant Marriage Bill Dies in Mississippi House

In an update to a previous post, the House killed a bill enacting covenant marriages in Mississippi. An amendment was added to HB 1088 by the Senate which would have authorized covenant marriages. However, the bill died in the Mississippi House on April 10th.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Mississippi Family Law Update

Bookmark:

Internal Revenue Service auditing more returns

Given this is the tax season, we are reminded by a number of news reports that the Internal Revenue Service is stepping up its audits of small businesses and individuals. According to a recent article, one of the areas which gets divorced couples in trouble is the non-reporting of alimony as income as well as those paying child support seeking to deduct those payments from their taxes. As discussed in a previous post, the general rule is recipients of alimony must report it as income and child support payments are neither included as income or as a deduction. However, if you have a question regarding your taxes, consult a tax professional.

Remember, tomorrow is the deadline to either file your return or your request for an extension.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Family Law News

Bookmark:

Downturn in housing market impacts divorce

The downturn in the housing market is impacting the ability of some to divorce. Quite frankly, they can not afford to divorce given they owe more on their home than it is worth. In an article out of California, the impact of the housing downturn is amplified. While housing prices were up, it was easier to split the couple's assets with the home usually being the largest asset. As one person quoted in the article said, "the hardest thing was picking a Realtor." But with the downturn in housing prices, it is more difficult. Even if one spouse wants to stay in the home, they must be able to afford the house payment as well as pay off the other spouse for their share of the equity (although that is diminishing as prices slide).

More troubling is when one spouse wants to sell and the other does not. This puts the courts in the position of deciding whether to order a sale or wait in hopes the real estate market will rebound. As the article points out, these economic times raise many issues when homeowners divorce.

Continue reading "Breaking up is harder to do" »

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Divorce , Property Division

Bookmark:

Nacogdoches district clerk arrested

Similar to the case previously reported out of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, a district clerk in Nacogdoches, Texas has been arrested and charged with theft by a public servant. She also resigned her position the same day and apologized for her "wrongdoings." The clerk is accused of taking over $15,000 in child support payments which she is responsible for depositing in the bank. The clerk bonded out and awaits trial.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Family Law News

Bookmark:

Good Morning America doing story on men receiving alimony

In a follow-up to my post yesterday about the Wall Street Journal article on men receiving alimony, Good Morning America is now seeking men who are receiving alimony. Here's your chance for 15 minutes of fame. So if you are a man and receiving alimony from your ex-wife, click here for details on contacting GMA.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alimony , Family Law News

Bookmark:

More women paying their ex-husbands alimony

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article this morning about the rise in men receiving alimony. According to the article, the number of men receiving alimony from their former wives rose from 2.4% to 3.6% in a five year period ending 2006. Today, females make more money than their spouses in 33% of all families.

And it also appears the distaste some have for paying alimony crosses gender lines. As one woman said, "I feel financially raped" while another woman said she would spit on the alimony checks she wrote each month to her ex-husband.

Posted by Robert Kisselburgh | Permalink | Email This Post

Posted In: Alimony , Family Law News

Bookmark: