Celebrity divorces that dominate the media often pose a myriad of interesting legal questions. Many people presume there is little resemblance between the issues and procedures involved in high profile divorces involving celebrities than that of a middle class couple. Admittedly, when the parties to a divorce have substantial net worth and high incomes, it may be easy to assume that these issues have little relevance to a divorce involving the average married couple. However, there are definitely lessons that can be derived from these high profile divorces.
One important issue that is common in a celebrity divorce is the relevance of a prenuptial agreement. While sometimes one of the parties to a high profile celebrity divorce will challenge the validity of a prenuptial agreement, many divorces involving high earners with substantial assets proceed in an amicable, business-like fashion because a prenuptial agreement clearly and unambiguously delineates the intentions of the parties in a divorce. While many middle class couples presume that a pre-nup is only relevant for high net worth couples, the reality is that such an agreement provides predictable results and reduces animosity over financial issues in divorces involving couples from all income levels.
While the use of a prenuptial agreement by celebrities provides insight on best practices by high profile divorcing couples, these high earning couples also provide examples of what not to do. Frequently, one of the spouses in a celebrity divorce will make nasty disparaging comments in public. These divorces typically end up being very acrimonious as well as expensive. The most costly and damaging divorces in the case of high profile couples involve those where the parties bicker publicly making denigrating comments about each other. The lesson to draw from this is that no matter how bitter or angry you feel toward a spouse, you should avoid disparaging comments in public or in front of your children. When a spouse makes these types of comments, the result is more anxiety for one’s children, a negative perception by a divorce judge or custody evaluator, and a more costly contentious divorce.
Privacy is also another lesson to be learned from celebrity divorces in Florida. If the parties are amicable and are seeking a low-key divorce, Florida allows for a couple to divorce in any of the state’s twenty judicial circuits as long as neither party objects to the venue.
We can derive lessons from celebrity divorces about compliance with custody orders. When both parties comply with the custody orders in a divorce, the relationship is typically workable, minimizing the need to repeatedly return to court to enforce or modify a parenting plan.
Despite the difference in wealth and fame, celebrities experience many of the same issues as the average person involved in a divorce. If you are considering retaining an experienced West Palm Beach divorce attorney and have questions, James S. Cunha will be able to help.
