Posted on November 30, 2012 in Divorce

A Los Angeles judge recently determined that teen actress Ariel Winter should remain in her sister’s care and not return to her mother’s custody. The 14-year-old “Modern Family” star will remain with her sister for several more weeks. The ruling was decided upon by Superior Court Judge Michael Levanas considered a report by child protective investigators involving Winter’s mother, Chrisoula Workman. Investigators found evidence of emotional abuse toward Winter, according to Levanas. The agency planned to step in and take action of its own if Winter did not remain with a guardian. This court ruling came more than six weeks after allegations were made towards Workman of physical and emotional abuse of Winter and she was temporarily stripped of custody. Although Levanas said the investigators’ report found that the claims of physical abuse were inconclusive, an attorney for Winter’s sister claimed that they could be proven in an additional report. December 12 has been the date set by the judge to decide whether Winter should be placed into a permanent guardianship. Winter has been cared for by her sister, Shanelle Gray, since early October. Levanas says that he will work towards keeping the family together if the case remains in his courtroom. It is possible that the Department of Children and Family Services could choose to file a case of its own and remove it from Levanas’s jurisdiction. Workman has denied all accusations of abuse towards her daughter. Winter’s father, Glenn Workman, also filed an objection to the guardianship saying that he is willing to care for her, stating that he wants a better relationship with her. Judge Levanas says that Glenn Workman’s statement, however, conflicts with a report that he gave to investigators, and he cannot receive custody of Winters. Both parents agree that they just want Ariel Winters to return home and her sister is not a suitable guardian. If your family seems to be tearing apart like this unfortunate case, contact a family law attorney in Illinois today. The Davi Law Group can help you keep your family together, contact them today.

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 Posted on November 28, 2012 in Divorce

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 Posted on November 20, 2012 in Child Support

Non-payment of child support can have far-reaching consequences that a lot of non-custodial parents sometimes fail to think about when they stop making the court-ordered payments. Court ordered civil penalties can be exposed, and in severe cases, even incarceration. In Illinois, some other consequences include driver license or other professional business license suspension, assets seized, withholding of income tax refunds and lottery winnings and derogatory credit rating report. One other consequence that may also arise is public perception and reputation, especially if the person who owes the child support holds political office. The issue of non-payment of child support was one that was raised in the recent election for the U.S. House of Representative for Illinois, 8^th Congressional District seat. Current Rep. Joe Wash was running for re-election against challenger Tammy Duckworth. In September 2011, Walsh’s ex-wife filed motions against him in court for back-child support. According to a report in the Chicago Sun Times, the congressman owed over $100,000 in back support for his three children. The couple finally reached a settlement in April 2012, but no details of the settlement were released. Duckworth raised the issue in the recent campaign, including releasing an ad that referred to Walsh as a “deadbeat dad”, shining a spotlight on the issue that hadn’t been in the media since April. It was a reminder that Walsh had not paid child support for years, claiming to be broke, yet had given his own re-election campaign $35,000. Duckworth received the endorsement of Chicago’s major newspapers and she won the election. Since filing for divorce in 2002, Walsh’s ex-wife had gone to court over and over again seeking the court-ordered child support payments her husband never paid. After years of only making partial payments, he stopped making any payments at all in 2008. If your children’s parent is not making court-ordered child support payments and has fallen in arrears, contact an Illinois family law attorney today.

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 Posted on November 16, 2012 in Divorce

People cite many different reasons for divorce. These reasons may include everything from infidelity, abandonment and even irreconcilable differences. However, a British woman may have one of the most unique reasons for seeking a divorce from her husband of several years. The 41 year old woman stated that her husband has a boring attitude toward sex and therefore serves as evidence of unreasonable behavior on his part. All of this came about after she read the book “Fifty Shades of Grey”. The woman states that she felt that her sex life was at a standstill so she did different things to try to get her husband interested. She did things such as buying lingerie to get his attention. Her latest request to him was that she would like to recreate some of the scenes that were written about in the aforementioned book. He refused and she is now seeking a divorce. She also stated that she had bought the books in a final effort to rekindle the fire between her and her husband. The husband is allegedly admitting to this unreasonable behavior so that a long divorce proceeding that can potential air all of the details of their sex life can be avoided. Filing for divorce can be embarrassing and even life changing, no matter what the situation or grounds for divorce happens to be. People have many different reasons for seeking the dissolution of the vows that were previously taken. If you find yourself in this type of situation, it is important to have an attorney there to represent your rights and interests. You may think that you do not need to retain an attorney in the case of an uncontested divorce, but this is not the case. An experienced Illinois divorce attorney will be able to evaluate your case and make sure that you get the fairest settlement possible.

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 Posted on November 13, 2012 in Divorce

Kimberly Buffington-Quaid has filed for legal separation, and according to the Los Angeles Times, a divorce is on its way. The couple has been married for eight years and had already planned to divorce in March. The original divorce filing stated that “the marriage has become insupportable because of discord or conflict of personalities ... that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation.” However, earlier this year, the divorce proceedings were called off by Buffington-Quaid as the couple tried to fix their relationship. Kimberly, a former real estate agent, is Dennis Quaid’s third wife and they have two 4-year-old children together, a son and daughter. Kimberly is seeking sole physical custody of the kids, with joint legal custody and visitation for her soon to be ex-husband. Quaid also has other children from previous marriages. Child custody matters can be highly emotional and sensitive for both parents and children. In Illinois, custody decisions are done in the best interests of the child which means that, for example, the child’s wishes, physical safety and welfare, and ties to community are taken into account. The parents’ preferences are considered as well.  It is best to contact an experienced family law attorney to reach a solution that is satisfactory to all parties involved. Your divorce may not necessarily involve children, but all the same, a skilled divorce attorney can help in protecting your rights, assets, property and more. If you are contemplating filing for divorce or have been served with divorce papers, please contact a dedicated divorce attorney in Illinois as soon as you can.

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