Divorce, in the public perception, is rarely a friendly undertaking. Even on this blog we often follow stories of contentious celebrity divorces and separations that don’t end well, with the theme usually being that couples are rarely on their best behavior when it comes time for a divorce . An article from USA Today , however, makes the claim that divorce is getting friendlier for a lot of couples. The article offers a couple of quick examples... 

Las Vegas is a city known for quick marriages, but Nevada’s governor, Gov. Jim Gibbons, recently finalized his divorce from wife Dawn when a family court judge in Reno, Nevada, signed the divorce decree. According to the Associated Press , the first family of Nevada has officially split. The Gibbons’s divorce marks the first time in the state’s history that a sitting governor has gotten a divorce. That’s not the only first, however.... 

The recent announcement that Kelsey Grammer and his wife Camille are divorcing has been big news. What’s an even bigger story is the fact that the multi-millionaire Grammer did not have a prenuptial agreement. A recent article on a pop-culture website gives us a list of the top ten celebrities that didn’t have a prenup when they needed it most. Here is a sampling from the list of famous and most expensive divorces without a prenup. When Mel... 

The economic downturn is placing major stresses on marriages today, and there is another side effect showing itself: when couples divorce but don’t have the economic resources to move out from their family home. Couples are left to weather the emotional difficulty of living with a spouse that they’ve separated from, because a lack of resources and a tough housing market make it impossible to maintain two separate households. It’s divorce... 

If you listen to the news at all, then you have undoubtedly heard the profanity filled rants that allegedly came from Mel Gibson toward Oksana Grigorieva, his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter. What you may not have heard are the rumors that have begun to swirl around that Grigorieva may have tried to extort Gibson with these tapes. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune , the Los Angeles Sheriff’s detectives are investigating... 

The British Columbia government has plans to make what the Vancouver Sun calls “revolutionary changes” to family law in the province. These changes will better reflect modern society, to update the Family Relations Act that was passed 30 years ago. The government’s proposal will revise the legal definition of a parent, and it will update property rules, children’s interests in parenting disputes, and even the terms that come with family... 

Elon Musk, the man that director Jon Favreau modeled the movie super-hero Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Junior in the recent Iron Man movie, is apparently bankrupt. Musk was a founder of PayPal, which netted him a cool $200 million not very long ago. Since then, to earn the right to be the inspiration for Tony Stark, Musk helped design the Falcon 9 booster used by NASA, created Solar City…  Read More →

The very public and increasingly strange McCourt divorce case is starting to look like an episode of CSI. Recently, the lawyer for Frank McCourt—the owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers who is embroiled in a nasty divorce from wife Jamie—has won what ESPN calls “a major victory” in the divorce proceedings. The victory was the result of science, allegations of deceit and a struggle for access to the lucrative Dodger franchise. According to the... 

In this week’s celebrity divorce news, R&B singer, actress and record producer Christina Milian has filed for divorce from her husband, the record producer known as The-Dream. Also, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has filed for divorce from his wife of 16 years, after which she was arrested for DUI. Milian and her husband, Terius “The-Dream” Nash, confirmed their split via their representatives, signaling an end to their year-long marriage, according... 

In Japan, there is a battle raging among the progressives and the conservatives. The Democratic Party of Japan, the progressives, came into power last year with a plan to give women the freedom to choose their married name. The current law in Japan allows only one surname per family, which is traditionally the man’s. Many feel this requirement is wrong, and that neither side should have to change their names. The Democrats came into power after... 

From movie stars to championship athletes, the round-up of celebrity divorce news continues to show that the rich and famous are as likely to split as the rest of us. Sandra Bullock and Jesse James have finalized the divorce that began with the scandalous news that James had been having an extramarital affair with a woman who was found to have posed for photos while wearing Nazi paraphernalia. CNN is reporting the finalization, as well as the news... 

Elizabeth Edwards has no plans to divorce her estranged husband John, despite his long-term affair and child with former campaign videographer Rielle Hunter. Edwards spoke of her marital commitment in an interview conducted with People Magazine . In the interview, topics range from her tumultuous personal life in the tabloids, to the nature of her life-threatening cancer and its treatments. According to People, Edwards discussed her estranged husband... 

TV’s Frasier Crane probably wouldn’t have used Twitter, but the actor who played him, Kelsey Grammer, is using the social media platform to share news and thoughts on his ongoing divorce from his wife and former Playboy Playmate Camille. With celebrities using social media to bypass the traditional media and engage directly with their fans, it shouldn’t be a surprise when a celebrity shares their thoughts on a major life event. Kelsey Grammer,... 

In China, divorce may still come with a social stigma attached, but more and more recently, new economic conditions and changing social relationships are leading to record highs in divorce in the country, according to CNN . Take, for example, the case of TV actress Tang Yi, who has been married to her film director husband for a decade. She did not get along with her in-laws, and told CNN in an interview that he had been taking their side in disputes.... 

When you’re planning on entering into a life-long commitment, it can seem counter-intuitive to plan about what happens after. A prenuptial agreement can be perceived as unromantic and pessimistic, but it can also be a very wise financial decision. Prenuptial agreements are on the rise especially among the “baby-boomers” entering into their second and third marriages, according to the Wall Street Journal . This is because baby boomers are...