Articles Posted in Irreconcilable Differences

Oprah Winfrey has become entangled in her father Vernon Winfrey’s divorce. Vernon married his current wife, Barbara Winfrey, in 2000. Vernon’s divorce papers contain allegations that Barbara engaged in “inappropriate marital conduct,” which refers to an extramarital affair. In her response, Barbara accuses Vernon of violent outbursts including an incident where he chased her with a gun and threatened to pull the trigger.

During their marriage, the couple has enjoyed living in a $1.4 million dollar home in Nashville. The home is owned by a trust, which was created and funded by Oprah. Vernon filed for divorce in Franklin, Tennessee in June of 2012. As a result of the divorce process, the Davidson County Sheriff’s deputies had an order to evict Ashley Williams, Oprah’s stepsister, from the Winfrey marital residence. However, the attorney for the trust had the order rescinded. The relationship between Oprah and Barbara seems beyond repair; however, that tension does not seem to extend to Oprah’s relationship with her stepsister.

On December 30, 2011 Russell Brand filed for divorce from pop icon, Katy Perry. After only 14 months of marriage Brand cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. The couple married on October 23, 2010 in an extravagant ceremony in India. When the pending divorce caught the attention of the media Brand released the following statement: “Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage. I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.” The divorce petition does not list a date of separation for the couple. However, it is undisputed that Perry earned approximately $44 million during their short marriage.

Once Russell filed for divorce, rumors swirled about whether the Hollywood couple had signed a premarital agreement. The Perry-Brand divorce was finalized on July 16, 2012 and it is clear that no premarital agreement was signed. The pair reached a marital settlement agreement in February; however, were required to wait the requisite six-month period before obtaining a legal divorce. In San Diego, there is a mandatory six-month period between the date of service of the divorce petition and the termination of marital status. Apparently the marriage happened so quickly that neither star had the time to consult an attorney before tying the not.

As reported in The San Francisco Chronicle, retired San Francisco judge Isabella Horton Grant died of cancer on Saturday at age 87.

Judge Grant made many contributions to family law, including her participation in the drafting and passage of California’s no-fault divorce rule, which went into effect January 1, 1970 with the enactment of the Family Law Act of 1969.

Prior to the enactment of California’s no-fault divorce rule, the moving party in a divorce was a plaintiff who charged the other spouse, as a defendant, with being “at fault” for the divorce for reasons such as adultery, abuse, etc.

Contact Information