Articles Tagged with Divorce

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

The debate over using margarine or butter has been a heated one for decades, with those on either side marshaling facts about cholesterol, trans fats and flavor to bolster their arguments. A new chart might suggest those in favor of using real butter may be on to something. That’s because data seems to indicate that margarine use may be linked to increased risk of divorce.

A mathematician with a bone to pick over frequently misunderstood studies released a series of what he calls “spurious correlations” to highlight how ridiculous some of these attention-grabbing numbers can be. One such chart showed that there was a link between the declining divorce rate in Maine and the state’s decreased margarine consumption.

The reality is that rather than one factor being causally related to one another, the two are instead simply correlations. The problem is that many people incorrectly believe that because two variable move in a similar direction that they must be related. However, this appearance of relation does not mean that there is any actual connection between the two variables.
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Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What does uncontested divorce mean?”

In a bit of sad news out of Indiana University, a recent study indicates that serious illness can greatly increase the risk of divorce among older couples. The study interestingly found that the divorce rate doesn’t increase across the board, but instead only jumps when the illness strikes the wife.

Researchers from IU examined data from more than 2,700 couples married between 1992 and 2010. Among the thousands of cases, 1/3 of the marriages ended in divorce. The researchers found that of those who divorced, nearly half involved cases where the wife became seriously ill.

Some examples of the illnesses that caused such extreme marital stress include cancer, heart problems, lung disease and stroke. The researcher in charge of the study said that serious illness is a major stress on a relationship, not only on the person coping with the health issue. Health problems have long been known to cause steep declines in a person’s perceived marital quality, but the recent data surprised many by indicating that the gender of the sick person had a lot to do with the ultimate impact on a marriage.

The results showed specifically that when a man came down with a serious illness the couple was no more likely to divorce. However, when a woman becomes sick, that couple becomes substantially more likely to divorce. Researchers said that while the raw numbers might indicate that men are jerks, the reality is that the data is incomplete. For example, though divorce is more likely in these cases the numbers don’t show which party initiated the divorce, meaning men may not be the ones leaving their sick wives.

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

According to a recent article, former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel is shelling out big money to continue fighting her long and already expensive divorce of Jason Hoppy. The case has drug on for more than 16 months already and shows no sign of coming to a close, something that cost Frankel a pretty penny.

According to recently released court papers, Frankel has been ordered to write her soon-to-be-ex a check for $100,000, money that is supposed to go to paying his mounting legal bills. Hoppy and his family law attorney petitioned the presiding judge to order the payment, claiming that Frankel’s wealth vastly exceeds Hoppy’s and, as a result, she should have to pay her former husband’s legal bills to ensure he is fairly represented during the contentious case.

Frankel, who sold her Skinny Girl line of alcoholic drinks for a reported $100 million, should have plenty of money to pay the tab. However, her lawyer insisted that the $100,000 be deducted from any future financial settlement worked out with Hoppy. So far, a deal seems like a long way off, with the two reportedly far apart with regards to alimony, child support and division of Frankel’s Skinny Girl money.

Hoppy argues that he is entitled to a good chunk of Frankel’s empire, saying that he met her as she was creating the brand that would go on to earn her millions and that he helped her establish her company. Frankel claims that her earnings are her own and that her business never had any direct ties to her husband, something she believes should result in her walking away with everything.

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Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “Do I need an attorney to get a Divorce in North Carolina?”

As most people have heard, the divorce rate in this country hovers around 50 percent. The exact number is hard to nail down, mainly because of poor data and the complicated nature of tracking and measuring marriage and divorce. However, a new book called “The Thing With Feathers” discusses birds and their amazing tendency to mate for life.

Though monogamy is rare in the animal world, Noah Strycker, author of the book, found that a surprising number of bird species appear to be fans of lifelong commitment, some even more so than humans. Strycker conducted research on more than 100 species of birds and found that of them all, the albatross was the most remarkably committed.

Strycker discovered that after a lengthy courtship period, sometimes lasting as long as 15 years, the albatross pairs up and that these pairings last until one partner dies. Unlike humans, the albatross is a 100 percent faithful animal. And lest you think these matches are merely short-term conveniences, researchers say that the pairings can last for up to five or six decades given the long lifespan of the albatross.

Though the albatross does set a good example of fidelity, the same cannot be said for every animal with wings. Flamingos are notorious playboys, with a 99 percent divorce rate. Piping Plovers breakup 67 percent of the time. On the more successful end, ducks are slightly more committed than humans, with a relationship failure rate of only 40 percent. Mallard couples remain together 91 percent of the time and swans manage to hang in there in 95 percent of cases.

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Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What does a “No-Fault’ divorce mean in NC?”

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discussed the sometimes-disastrous combination that financial decisions and strong emotions can cause in divorce cases. Experts usually advise individuals to only make important financial decisions with a calm, level head, but during a divorce this can be easier said than done.

Given how easy it is for couples to conflate emotion and money, it is critical to hire and rely on an experienced North Carolina family law attorney who you trust to shepherd your case through the process. By hiring a skilled professional, you can ensure that decisions are being made by a rational outsider advocating on your behalf.

A common example of a financial mistake that emotions can cause include costly and unnecessary fights over relatively insignificant personal items. All too often, angry couples decide to square off when dividing the contents of their life. A wronged party can feel indignant about letting things go to the spouse that he or she blames for the demise of the relationship. In these cases, thousands of dollars and countless hours are wasted arguing over furniture or plates, even toiletries and souvenirs. Think long and hard before engaging in a scuffle over such relatively inexpensive belongings and remember that almost everything can be replaced.

Another good example of emotions overriding good sense occurs when one party, many times a woman, tries to stay in the marital residence at all costs. Often this happens because the woman believes it is in the best interest of the kids to maintain stability, but this can backfire quickly if the party left with the house is not truly able to afford it alone.

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Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “Do I need an attorney to get a Divorce in North Carolina?”

Last year pop star Hilary Duff announced she was filing for divorce from her hockey player husband Mike Comrie. At the time, it seemed clear the two had grown distant from one another and that Comrie’s busy career had made it difficult for Duff to juggle the demands of her career and being a mother to a two-year-old boy.

Though many assumed the divorce would move forward like so many do, it appears that a recent romantic trip may have saved the marriage. According to gossip sites, Duff has now decided to call off the divorce after she and her estranged spouse took a recent Valentine’s Day vacation to the Bahamas.

In the Bahamas, Duff and Comrie were able to reconnect, discuss some of their issues and realized that they still have strong feelings for each other. Sources say that Comrie broke down and begged for a second chance, saying that he would be willing to make changes that he had ignored the first time around.

Specifically, Duff has said she needs Comrie to agree to take a more active role in raising their young son given the work commitments she is dealing with. Rather than live as a single mother, Duff is apparently demanding a commitment that she will have an equal partner in caring for the child.

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

In a surprising case out of New York City, a woman had her divorce settlement reduced by a family court judge after the judge found that the woman’s airing of her husband’s dirty laundry hurt his business.

The decision, issued by Justice Laura Drager, means that Janice Schacter will now walk away with 17 percent of what used to be her husband’s $5 million law firm partnership ($855,000). The judge noted that the wife’s constant sniping online, in the press and to others in their social circle cost her millions of dollars, with the woman initially poised to walk away with half the $5 million partnership.

The problems for Janice and Ira Schacter began years ago, back in 2007, when the two got into a physical altercation and, soon thereafter, filed for divorce. The couple’s split was contentious from the very beginning, with both parties attempting to smear the other’s good name. Police were called numerous times, stories were written, restraining orders filed and the presiding judges says she had to contend with numerous inappropriate outbursts in the courtroom.

During this time, Janice Schacter’s actions to slander her husband went above and beyond a normal person’s attempt to merely bring to light a partner’s bad behavior. Janice judiciously spread stories around the Manhattan legal world about how her husband physically abused her, cheated on her, was engaged to a Playboy “Coed of the Week” and withheld money from his children. The stories garnered so much attention that at one point Ira was mockingly named “Lawyer of the Month” on the legal website AboveTheLaw.

In that article, details of Ira’s engagement to the Playboy bunny were discussed, as was Janice’s accusation that Ira had blown more than $200,000 on an engagement ring for the Playmate while refusing to contribute money towards his hearing-impaired daughter’s $12,000 hearing aids.

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Attorney Matthew R. Arnold answering the question: “What does a “No-Fault’ divorce mean in NC?”

Though it’s a painful lesson to learn, many couples have come to realize that what happens online can impact the real world, in sometimes surprisingly negative ways. Problems with social media are numerous, including the ease with which users meet new people, flirt, exchange inappropriate messages or photographs or send thoughtless or angry emails that can then be misconstrued or blown out of proportion.

Given all these ugly possibilities, it perhaps isn’t a surprise that researchers say that users of certain important social networking sites experience more marital trouble than those who stay away. Only a few weeks ago, one study claims that those who are active Facebook users are more likely to be unfaithful to their romantic partners.

In that study, the researcher concluded that Facebook users who are in a relationship that is less than 36 months old are the most susceptible to online infidelity. Those in longer relationships evidently have enough of a history that the lure of Facebook does not burn quite as bright.

Now, research out of the University of Missouri says that users who are among the most active on Twitter are far more likely to experience conflict with their romantic partners than those who either stay away from the service or use it only sparingly. The study says that much of the conflict is actually Twitter-related, indicating that messages or encounters over the social networking service are to blame for the subsequent hostility.

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