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Bellevue Legal News: Seattle Divorce & Domestic Violence Lawyer

When it comes to divorce, child custody, and domestic violence, you are not alone – far from it. Stories of ending marriages, custody battles, and abused love are in the news every day, both on a national level and right here in the greater Seattle area. We can learn a lot from these current events stories, both about Washington law and others who may share similar experiences with you. Below, please read our collection of Bellevue, WA, legal news stories.

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Divorce and Property

Kobe Bryant & Wife Vanessa Divorce after Ten Years of Marriage
Feb 01, 2012
Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa will divorce after a decade of marriage. Vanessa, who met the NBA player on the set of a music video in 1999, filed for divorce at the beginning of December. She has asked for spousal support and joint custody of the couple’s two daughters, 9-year-old Natalia and 6-year-old Gianna.
The pair did not have a prenuptial agreement when they married in the spring of 2001, which means that Vanessa may be legally entitled to half of the couples’ estimated net worth of $150 million. While the divorce proceedings have not been made public, recent reports say that three of the couples’ properties in Newport Beach have been signed over to Vanessa – homes worth $11.2 million, $2.9 million, and $4.7 million. Vanessa also allegedly received $75 million.
Vanessa Bryant stood by Kobe in 2003, when the basketball star was accused of sexual assault. The charges were dropped and the civil suit was settled out of court, but Bryant admitted to having sex with his accuser.
A joint public statement from the couple read: "The Bryants have resolved all issues incident to their divorce privately with the assistance of counsel and a judgment dissolving their marital status will be entered in 2012."
Study: Parental Conflict, Not Divorce, Can Harm Children
Jan 28, 2012
It’s a common assumption that children are negatively affected by their parents’ divorce, but a new divorce study shows that parental conflict and a lack of co-parenting are the true culprits when it comes to harming a child’s mental health.
According to psychologists at the University of Basque Country, divorce in and of itself isn’t the issue when it comes to a child’s long- and short-term problems associated with parents breaking up. The real issue when it comes to kids and divorce are the presence of fighting parents, family instability, and family conflict.
The study followed over 400 families through the various stages of divorce. Throughout marital issues, separation and divorce, children were observed for signs of depression, anxiety, behavioral issues, and other common issues associated with divorce. Surprisingly, the study found that these problems only surfaced in cases where divorce was accompanied by other issues in the household, including parental conflict, changes in daily routine, and issues with co-parenting.
Of course, this leaves many asking, is it possible to go through the divorce process without exposing your family to other issues like general conflict and changes in routine? Researchers say that simply being aware of the root causes of children’s issue during divorce may change how divorcing couples approach the end of their marriage.
UK Study: Facebook a Factor in One Out of Three Divorces
Jan 20, 2012
For the last few years, the social networking site Facebook has been cited in a growing number of breakups and divorces around the world. Now, a new study out of the United Kingdom shows that the number of divorces involving Facebook has grown significantly even over the last two years.
In 2009, the website Divorce Online conducted a study about causes of divorce that showed 20 percent of respondents believed that Facebook was a factor in ending their marriage. This December, the new survey found that 33 percent of couples blamed their breakup on the behemoth social networking site. Twitter, by comparison, was only cited by 0.4 percent of survey takers.
Why is Facebook such a new problem for those in monogamous relationships? Experts say that Facebook is simply one of the most popular ways to communicate with friends, reconnect with people from your past, and meet new people. While this could mean new social opportunities for many, it could also mean the start of an emotional affair. From there, communication could evolve into texts, emails, phone conversations, and meeting in person.
Of course, saying that Facebook is a “cause” of divorce may be taking the divorce study a step too far – because so many people use Facebook on a daily basis for social reasons, it also makes sense that Facebook would be involved in unfaithfulness.
Vanessa Bryant To Get Three Mansions in Divorce
Jan 20, 2012
According to TMZ, Vanessa Bryant will walk away from her divorce with Kobe Bryant with all three mansions they owned in Newport Beach, California. These homes are part of the $75 million she is reported to be receiving in the divorce settlement. Additionally, Kobe has agreed to provide Vanessa with spousal support.

Divorce documents also indicate that Vanessa has requested joint custody of the couple’s daughters, Natalia and Gianna.

Papers finalizing their settlement and custody agreements are scheduled to be filed sometime this year.
Zooey Deschanel files for divorce from Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard
Jan 09, 2012
Following her highly publicized separation from Ben Gibbard, frontman for Death Cab for Cutie on October 31, 2011, Zooey Deschanel officially filed for divorce on December 27th in Los Angeles County, California. The cause for the split is cited "irreconcilable differences" At the time of separation, Deschanel's publicist, Lauren Auslander, told the Associated Press that the split was "amicable" and there was "no third party involved."

Deschanel is a Golden Globe nominee and the star of the hit sitcom "New Girl." The couple married near Seattle in September of 2009.

Are you ready to file for divorce? Contact the Law Offices of Molly B. Kenny for a private consultation.
Divorce Trial Explores Worth of Seattle Mariners Baseball Team
Dec 27, 2011
As Seattle Mariners minority owner Chris Larson and Julia Calhoun navigate their Washington State divorce proceedings in King County Superior Court, major league baseball fans are looking on with interest as both parties argue the worth of the team and discuss the future of the stake they currently hold.

The court ordered both Calhoun and Larson provide an official appraisal of the professional baseball team. Both appraisals -- $551 million and $750 million – were made based on insider information and are significantly higher than outside estimates.

Currently, Larson owns 30.6 percent of the franchise. During his Seattle divorce, he is arguing that the worth of the franchise should not be split with his wife since much of their wealth, including the value of the baseball team, was created by Larson alone. Calhoun is arguing in divorce court that their net worth is $572 million, and that she is owed half of that amount. Since she has no interest in participating in owning the Mariners, she is asking her ex-spouse to sell his share and give her half of the profits.

The couple was married for 25 years. The judge in the Seattle divorce case is expected to make a decision by the end of the week.
Peter Stienbrueck Talks Divorce, Possible Run for Mayor of Seattle
Dec 20, 2011
In 2007, Peter Stienbrueck stepped down from Seattle’s City Council after serving for ten years. At the time, he said that he was going to focus on family life and a new consulting business. Despite rumors, he did not run for mayor but instead accepted a one-year teach fellowship at Harvard University.

However, in a recent interview with The Seattle Times, Stienbrueck said that he has been considering a run for Seattle Mayor in 2013, following his return from teaching. The man, whose father was also a notable political presence in Seattle, explained that his family and private life had always influenced his decisions about career and politics, but that he and his wife were filing for divorce in Washington. He stated that if he were to run for mayor, he would announce his bid in six months.

He added that tension between family and his political life was often unavoidable. He said that since his return to Seattle in the spring, he has heard a lot of dissatisfaction and frustration from residents.

Stienbrueck’s parents divorced when he was a young child.

According to The Seattle Times, other possible mayoral candidates include Washington Senator Ed Murray, former King County Executive Ron Sims, city council member Tim Burgess, city council member Sally Clark, city council member Richard Conlin, and city council member Bruce Harrell.
Zooey Deschanel & Ben Gibbard Divorce Two Years After Seattle Wedding
Nov 23, 2011
Just two years after getting married in a ceremony outside of Seattle, Washington, actress and singer Zooey Deschanel and indie rock star Ben Gibbard have announced that they are filing for divorce.

Deschanel, who has a new and successful sitcom on Fox called New Girl, met Gibbard, the front man of the bands Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, through mutual friends three years ago. They were married outside of Seattle in the fall of 2009 after Gibbard proposed with a three-karat diamond and platinum ring. An unnamed source as well as a representative of the couple told national news sources last month that their relationship had ended, that they had separated, and that they would be filing for divorce in Washington State as a next step.

Just months ago, Deschanel shared in an interview this summer that her relationship continued to be hard work even after their marriage and that Gibbard was often on tour. Gibbard told an interviewer in 2008 that he would rather make great music than great relationships, and that music was the only constant in his life.

The source said that the breakup was mutual and amicable, and that no third parties were involved in the split.
Higher Divorce Rates in the Past Tied to More Education for Women
Oct 27, 2011
Divorce rates soared in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s - and many agree that this rise in unsuccessful marriages wasn't a good thing for American families. However, new research published by New York University professors Raquel Fernandez and Joyce Cheng Wong speaks to an often-ignored bright side to the rise in divorce in that era: more women than ever before entered the workforce and sought higher education.

The working paper, which was funded by the National Bureau of Economic Research, analyzes the changing status of women between 1935 and 1970, a time when America's culture and economy changed significantly in just a few decades. When divorce rates began to rise in the 1960s, partially because of the women's liberation movement and strides toward gender equality, many women found themselves without a support system, without work experience, and without the proper education to secure a job. At the same time, many needed to support their children after sometimes unfair divorce settlements.

The result? Fernandez and Wong found that these divorces encouraged (and sometimes required) women to return to school and enter the workforce. However, some things still haven't changed since 1955: many women, especially those with the least education, can still expect to face some economic hardship after a divorce.
Study: Sexual Satisfaction, Not Frequency, May Better Predict Divorce
Oct 17, 2011
A new study that examined sexual satisfaction, frequency of sex, and agreement between partners about the quality of their sex lives has found that a man's sexual satisfaction is the best predictor of successful marriages and divorce.
In the study, researchers collected data from 1,000 young couples over a period of six years. While neither the frequency of sex or agreement between partners could be linked with divorce, the sexual satisfaction of the man in the relationship did affect the success of a marriage. In fact, men who were sexually satisfied in their marriage were 87.5 percent less likely to experience marital problems than those who reported that they were not satisfied. While a sexually satisfied wife was also tied with lasting marriages, researches could not separate sexual satisfaction with overall marriage satisfaction for the women in the study.

What does this study teach us? Because of how the study was conducted, it is hard to draw any hard conclusions from the data except that sexual satisfaction is more important than the frequency of sex in a marriage. More research must be done to clarify the connection between happiness in the bedroom and happiness in married life.

The researcher who conducted the study adds that more research needs to be done because all of the couples examined where newlyweds and resided in the same geographic area.