Online Divorce

Its coming to that time of year again…the time of year when you have to send your loved ones Christmas Cards and seasonal greetings. Also you need to fork out for presents for those that mean the most to you. This blog is all about Divorce, and the question needs to be asked whether you think about ex partners at this time of year. So, do you send your ex a Christmas Card?

I suppose it depends on your relationship post split. There could be loads of humorous cards you could buy. Or you could make one and stick all their pet hates inside as a laugh. Or you could simply send a text message to them.

There are loads of theories on the Internet about what Christmas Etiquette is and whether you should or shouldn’t bother sending your Christmas greetings. The general consensus is send a card. Especially if you’re looking to open the door again on a past relationship. But don’t be too disheartened if you don’t get one in return. They may have moved on and be in a new serious relationship. Still it’s the season of good will and generally a simply card to bury the hatchet and keep old relationships on a comfortable level will reflect well on yourself.

Sorry Katie and Peter…you’re not such big names in the world of divorce actually. In today’s world of celebrity divorce settlements, some of the battles over the years have been quite staggering.

Even Paul McCartney’s divorce of Heather Mills is dwarfed in comparison to some of the names that top a list quoted in the Telegraph’s online newspaper back in 2008. This big divorce and think Jordan (not Katie Price but Michael Jordan), Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Mick Jagger, and Donald Trump, whose wife Ivana managed to wrestle a cool $25m dollars back in the early 1990s.

The list provided by the Telegraph (March 17th, 2008) lists the following cases. The source of the information is from Forbes Magazine:

£75.5 million – Michael Jordan versus Juanita Jordan

£75.5 million – Neil Diamond versus Marcia Murphy

£50 million – Steven Spielberg versus Amy Irving

£41 million – Kevin Costner versus Sindy Silva

£30 million – Kenny Rogers versus wife Marriane

£25 million – James Cameron versus Linda Hamilton

£24.3 million – Sir Paul McCartney versus Lady McCartney

£23 million – Michael Douglas versus first wife Diandra

£15 million – Ted Danson versus Casey Coates

£7.5 to £12.5 million – Mick Jagger versus Jerry Hall

Mel Gibson is set to become one of the big names supposedly about to top the list.

A women’s magazine has offered readers the chance to win a divorce, inviting them to write in and explain why they “deserve to be a free woman”.

Chat magazine said it would contribute £500 towards legal fees to the reader who gave the best reason why her marriage was over.

Assistant editor Paul Merrill said: “Basically the idea for this competition came out of the letters we were getting from our readers who were trapped in loveless marriages which they couldn’t afford to get out of.

“Marriage is a sacred institution, divorce isn’t, it’s a good way of getting shot of your bloke if he’s been messing around or treating you cruelly.”

Mr Merrill denied that the competition, entitled Ditch that loser with a free divorce! was in poor taste.

The contest comes hot on the heels of a win a wedding competition launched by a Birmingham radio station last month. The winning couple spoke only once before the ceremony and saw each other for the first time at the altar.

Another couple married in the same way in Australia last year.

Chat magazine goes on sale during British National Marriage Week.

A spokesman at the Roman Catholic Church’s London media office said: “I don’t know if £500 is enough to cover the legal costs, but what about the emotional cost? It is trivialising a very traumatic experience.

“I think all these competitions, win a wedding, win a divorce, have the first millennium baby on television, are a desperate attempt to pull in readers.”

Mel Gibson’s wife has filed for divorce after 28 years of marriage to the Hollywood actor.

Robyn Gibson cited irreconcilable differences in the papers, which she signed last Thursday, according to celeb gossip site TMZ.

The couple married in June 1980 without a prenuptial agreement.

Oscar-winner Gibson is worth an estimated $900 million which under Californian law would likely be split 50/50.

His wife is said to be seeking spousal support, joint custody of their child Tom (the only minor of their 7 children together) and legal fees.

She is being represented by Laura Wasser, who handled divorces for Angelina Jolie and Britney Spears.

The divorce petition doesn’t give any details about the reasons for the split.

The couple issued a joint statement today saying they have “always strived to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so.”

Sources reportedly told TMZ the couple have been separated for more than two-and-a-half years.

Divorce by text, it’s the future!

Amazingly, in some cultures you can actually divorce your wife by text message. You don’t even need to go to court either, simply texting your wife and telling her that she’s divorced is considered final and absolute.

A Saudi Arabian did this recently and a court ruled that his action was legal under the law. Under their law, a man can divorce his wife by uttering the words ‘I divorce you’ three times, then they are legally divorced. As technology is become more widely used, the act of texting the information rather than saying it in person is considered sufficient.

It’s much harder for women to get a divorce though. They have to go to court and appeal against the male dominated system.

Now where’s my mobile?