Child Custody Legal Settlements
A New York divorce lawyer with Berkman Bottger Newman & Rodd, LLP has assisted the SettlementBoard editorial team in identifying topics of importance to readers of this blog.
Charlie Sheen, Ex-Wife Settle Child Custody Suit
Ian Saleh reported in "Charlie Sheen strikes custody agreement with Brook Mueller" that the Hollywood couple reached a custody agreement over their twin sons.
Mueller had obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) against Sheen after he allegedly threatened her during a trip to the Bahamas. She agreed to drop the TRO as part of the settlement.
Other terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The couple issued a statement through a publicist, stating that they wanted to keep the details of the settlement confidential to protect their sons' privacy.
Parties Reach Private Custody Settlement over Frozen Embryos
The advent of reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization has created some gray areas in the law. In general, custody of frozen embryos tends to be negotiated in family court.
In her article "Families settle dispute over frozen embryos," Nancy Cambria reported that two California families were embroiled in lawsuits against each other over custody of frozen embryos that one of the parties had donated.
Kerry and Edward Lambert had donated the embryos to Jennifer McLaughlin and later sued to regain custody of them. McLaughlin, who gave birth to twin girls from two of the embryos, countersued the couple. The parties settled just before the case went to mediation.
A press release about the settlement did not disclose the terms or which party had gained custody of the embryos. The release only said that the settlement honored the parties' original intent in the donor agreement.
Tennessee Man Awarded $6.1 Million After Ex-Wife Abducts Children
A Tennessee man was awarded a $6.1 million settlement after his wife abducted their children and took them to Japan.
The Daily Mail reported in "Desperate father who tried to 'snatch' children back from runaway Japanese mother awarded $6.1 million settlement" that the father, who has sole custody in the United States, tried unsuccessfully to regain custody of his kids in Japan. As soon as he tried to pick them up, he was apprehended by Japanese authorities and detained for three weeks in a Japanese prison.
The state of Tennessee awarded $6.1 million to the father and gave him sole custody of the children.
It was an empty victory, however, because the kids are still in Japan with their mother. The article describes the actual enforcement of the settlement as an "uphill battle" because Japan has not signed an international treaty over child abductions.
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