Child Support

Shocking! Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston have called off their engagement for the second time!

Shortly after the infamous couple announced to the world in July they were back together and ready to make it work, things quickly headed south.

Rumors had spread that one of Johnston’s ex-girlfriends was pregnant with his child. While a different (unnamed) girl is pregnant with his child, the rumors were fairly accurate. In fact, Johnston confessed this to Bristol on the very day they released their engagement news.

Palin and Johnston have been on and off since she was a freshman at Juneau-Douglas High School in 2005. On opening day of the Republican National Convention in September 2008, her pregnancy was announced in an effort to spin her teenage pregnancy into a positive light for her mother’s vice presidential campaign.

Their first engagement fell apart shortly after their son’s birth, in March 2009.

“[Levi’s] just obsessed with the limelight and I got played,” lamented Bristol Palin in a recent interview about the called-off engagement.

So what’s the take-away for Miss Palin? “Through this whole experience I know I need a man who’s going to be completely honest with me.”

She added that she’d like to find someone who shares her religious beliefs and comes from a good family.

Read more about celebrity divorce, child custody battles, and other breakups and shake-ups at CelebLegalIssues.com!

The nearly nine-year run for Melissa Etheridge and Tammy Lynn Michaels appears to be over. Etheridge is a 49-year-old singer who has won two Grammy Awards and sold more than 27 million albums worldwide. Recently she filed a Petition for Dissolution of Domestic Partnership in an L.A. County Superior Court. Etheridge cited irreconcilable differences and asked for joint custody of the couple’s 3-year-old twins. In addition to this, Etheridge asked that Michaels not be awarded any financial support.

Etheridge and Michaels, who exchanged wedding vows in Malibu in September 2003, first announced their separation in April 2010, saying in a statement: “We ask for consideration and respect for our family as we go through this difficult period.”

Need more Melissa Etheridge news or other breaking celebrity news? View our articles about celebrity divorce, prenuptial agreements, child custody and more!

Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry have recently split, and the topic of custody for their daughter, Nahla, is becoming a heated issue. Since the split, Halle has kept Aubry to limited visits with his daughter, which has pushed him to recently begin exploring his legal options in the Los Angeles area.

This summer, Halle begins filming a movie in Africa which will keep her there permanently for three months, and she wants to take Nahla with her. This would mean Aubry being unable to see his young daughter for an extended period of time, which he refuses to let happen. Things got very heated, but no progress was made for either party as they hit a tumultuous stalemate, during which both began to contemplate a legal battle.

Gabriel Aubry was looking into his options of obtaining full custody of Nahla, a move which Halle recently countered by offering a kind of solution. Halle offered Aubry to stay in her rental home with her and Nahla for their three months in Africa as Nahla’s primary nanny. Halle will even pay Aubry as though he were a hired caregiver. If the two cannot get along for the sake of their daughter, then Halle also agreed to rent Aubry a house nearby, so that he can stay in the area to remain Nahla’s nanny.

This is a very unusual solution, but one that is certainly in the best interest of their daughter. If things do not workout well for the ex-couple in Africa, they might soon be seeking the aid of divorce lawyers. For more information concerning separations and divorce proceedings, refer to experienced Newport Beach divorce lawyers. Hopefully, Halle and Aubry’s solution will work, and the two will not be reaching out for legal aid any time soon.

Singer Bobby Brown’s tumultuous marriage and subsequent divorce to singer Whitney Houston is what has made headlines for the R&B star in the past. The famous couple’s fourteen year marriage ended in 2006 when Houston filed for divorce in the Orange County Ca Superior Court.  According to People, the couple had signed a pre-nuptial agreement which stated that Brown would not receive any spousal support or alimony if the marriage was terminated.  After Brown and Houston split, Houston was awarded sole custody of their daughter Bobby Kristina. Then, the couple returned to court in 2007 when Brown sued for custody and spousal support.

However, he will appear in a Massachusetts court next month on June 24 in reference to another ex according to the Norfolk register of Probate. Brown has filed a bid to prove to the court that he can no longer afford the $5,500 a month he pays to Kim Ward the mother to two of Brown’s children because he has had a “material change in circumstances.” Brown has been delinquent in the past with his child support payments to Ward. In 2006, the MA court threatened to arrest Brown if he were to enter the state Massachusetts because he owed Ward $11,000 in child support. Brown ended up spending three nights in the Norfolk County jail and had to pay the court $19,150.

With his long history of family law issues it sounds like Brown needs to secure the permanent assistance of a good Boston divorce attorney.

Given the recent drama-filled life Charlie Sheen has been living, it’s no wonder he did what he did. The actor surrendered legal custody of his two daughters Lola and Sam with Denise Richards.

It was reported that Charlie and Denise came up with and signed a written agreement that grants Denise full custody of their 6-year-old and 4-year-old daughters.

Before this, the two celebs had joint custody of the kids and Charlie was reportedly paying Denise $50,000 monthly for child support since their 2005 divorce.

Given Charlie’s current marital situation, criminal issues and problems staying sober, however, Denise wanted sole custody and Charlie apparently had no problem with that.

Denise now has the power to make all decisions regarding the two girls without any of Charlie’s input necessary.

It’s reassuring to know some celebs – sober or not – can actually make reasonable decisions sometimes, especially when it comes to their children. Hopefully this will make Sheen clean up his act, especially if/when Brooke Mueller packs her bags and takes his other two children away!