Child Custody

In a 20-minute hearing yesterday, a judge ordered Levi Johnston to pay child support and some back payments for the care of Tripp, the 1-year-old son of him and Bristol Palin.

Back in November, Bristol, the daughter of former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, filed a petition in accordance with Alaska law seeking sole custody of Tripp with visitation rights for

Johnston. The 19-year-old (then 17 years old) also requested $1, 7000 of child support a month from Johnston.

The judge eventually ruled that Johnston must pay $1, 688.42 a month in support, extending back to when the child was born in December 2008.

Bristol’s lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, told TMZ, “Bristol is pleased with the court rulings today and looks forward to resolving the remaining issues with Levi.”

Everyone’s sick of hearing about these two already. Johnston needs to take responsibility and pay his support and Bristol needs to move on. Enough is enough!

In December, Courtney Love lost temporary guardianship of her 17-year-old daughter Frances Bean, whose father is the late Kurt Cobain. Control of Frances was granted to Cobain’s mother Wendy O’Connor and his sister Kimberly Dawn Cobain.

The judge who granted this custody also issued a restraining order against Love.

For years Cobain’s family members have stated Love has been an unfit parent to Frances and their effort to take custody of her daughter hasn’t ceased for a number of years.

Yesterday an LA judge extended the existing order restricting Love’s contact with her daughter until April 9.

Once Frances turns 18 in August, however,  it will be up to her to decide the kind of relationship she wants to have with her crazy mother.

Jon Gosselin showed up for a divorce arbitration hearing Saturday with a bouquet of red roses for possible soon-to-be ex-wife Kate. Her reaction? She turned them down and after the daylong hearing left the courthouse empty-handed.

In an arbitration hearing, the hired arbitrator carefully listens to both parties and makes a final decision that cannot be appealed. Many couples choose this route if they want to avoid a messy, expensive and more drama-filled divorce.

According to Jon’s lawyer Mark Heller, the chosen arbitrator is expected to rule in a month and it’s very likely the couple’s contentious divorce could be finalized by the end of this year.

The many issues discussed include child support and custody of their eight children and distribution of assets.

Like many celebrity divorces, there’s a good chance things can go sour for the Gosselins, but we can all count on the reliable and relentless media to continue giving us the play-by-play.

Just when I forgot about NY Christie Brinkley, supermodel, and her errant husband, Peter Cook, BING they are back in the news. Their New York divorce was the topic at our water cooler today.

Mud slinging aside, the feuding couple finally came to a separation and custody agreement in Riverhead, NY with the help of their divorce attorneys. Many of you don’t know that Stargazer is from out yonder there on Eastern Long Island.

Issues such as custody and visitation for their two kids were finally “hammered” out. The couple had some few choice words to call each other: her to him – narcissist; him to her – custodial interference, etc., etc. Wonder if poor kids Jack and Sailor got caught up in the legal haggling?

New York Divorce and Separation

Divorce and separation issues are matters of family law. Although couples can divorce with forms without an attorney, it’s smarter to have one on your case especially if your ex is nasty. If the couple cannot work out their differences, a judge would have to hear both sides. In the case of child custody, the judge would decide who would be the better caregiver to the children. Other volatile issues surrounding divorce such as debt and asset division, visitation, spousal maintenance, and child support may also be mitigated by the judge if the couple cannot agree.

Too bad Christie Brinkley and Cook didn’t try mediation as a means to a better bitter end. Mediation allows a psychologist or attorney to facilitate the divorce agreement and counsels the couple so as to come to an agreement on issues instead of going to court.

It certainly would save Brinkley and Cook a lot of money in NY divorce attorney fees.

Thinking about a divorce? I found some interesting divorce articles on a blog called www.settlementboard.com.

Thousands of Michael Jackson news stories have surfaced this week.

Custody of Michael Jackson’s Children

Earlier in the week a judge granted child custody to Michael Jackson’s mom, Katherine Jackson. Jackson’s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, who is the mother of two of his three children, is deciding whether or not she is going to pursue custody of Jackson’s children. Rowe received a delay on the custody issue from a judge. I saw on the cover of a well-known newspaper that she is seriously going to try to win custody.

Michael Jackson’s Will

Earlier in the week it was reported that Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson’s sister, was the executor of his estate. There will be a court hearing on Monday regarding the distribution of Jackson’s assets. Jackson purposely left Rowe out of his will. Supposedly the Jackson estate has loads of debt. I am sure Jackson’s family law attorney has his hands full with the custody battle and filing the will in probate.

Neverland Ranch – Michael Jackson’s Former Home

Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch was his pride and joy for many years until he was accused of molesting a boy there a few years ago. I caught some stunning photos of Neverland ranch the other day. It’s actual address is 5225 Figueroa Mountain Boulevard in Los Olivos, CA 93441. Neverland was saved from foreclosure last year, and five years ago was said to have been worth approximately $120 Million. However, there have been different values for the ranch in a variety of news articles. If you are looking to see what the local real estate is in Los Olivos, go to realtor.com to search for Los Olivos homes. I am sure the price of homes in Los Olivos have come down substantially.
Jackson’s Memorial Service and Burial

Jermaine Jackson said the other day that his brother update wanted to be buried at Neverland Ranch. However, California burial statutes say that burials can only be in cemeteries in California. They were going to have a memorial service on Thursday at Neverland Ranch but that was stopped. Instead, Jackson’s memorial service will be Tuesday at the Staples Center in California. I found a handy map in Google Maps for the Staples Center.

Did Michael Jackson’s Doctors mess up?

The answer to this question is maybe. The DEA is looking into fraudulent prescription meds that Jackson was taking at the time of his death. There were also cases of Jackson receiving meds under a few aliases. Wonder if there will be a case of wrongful death or medical malpractice?