A billionaire Illinois Husband is divorcing his Wife, with whom he has three children.

Despite having entered a prenuptial agreement before their wedding in 2003, the couple’s divorce is very contentious.

Wife is seeking to have their prenup thrown out on grounds of coercion by Husband. Indeed, Wife’s assertions seem to fall just short of accusing Husband of domestic violence, through subtle references to a bedpost perhaps broken by Husband.

And Husband asserts that Wife is seeking an outrageous amount of support for herself … and trying to pass it off as child support.

Wife also alleges that Husband pressured her into closing her business so she could devote more time to her family, thereby cutting off her own independent income.

Husband counters that Wife’s businesses would have failed anyway but for his infusions of money into them … and that he “removed” the bedpost, as comic relief, during their heated negotiations.

Well, there is no disputing that there is an awful lot of money in dispute in this case.

Under their prenup, the Wife reportedly netted $25 million as a wedding gift, with another $1 million token of Husband’s affection each year.

But Wife now seeks $1 million per month, arguing that that is what it would take to maintain their children’s standard of living during the marriage. A billionaire’s standard of living.

Wife is also seeking permission to relocate their children from Chicago to New York … where it might cost a bit more to live the same lifestyle as in Chicago.

Read more in this Chicago Sun Times article: Another round of accusations in billionaire’s divorce battle .

No one likes to think about death or illness. That’s human nature under the best of circumstances.

They want to think about it even less during or right after a divorce. That’s understandable.

And exactly the reason that I remind every client to do this anyway no later than immediately upon their divorce. Possibly even sooner.

There really is no more convenient time. All the assets are freshly inventoried and itemized. That’s half the work.

A Wall Street Journal columnist dramatically illustrates the importance of updating will and beneficiary designations to avoid unintended windfalls to your ex or your ex’s family upon your death after divorce.

In some states, statutes override seemingly obsolete bequests and beneficiary designations, but others don’t. Besides, laws can change. Why leave something this important to chance?

But this isn’t just about gifts and inheritances.

Imagine the worst imaginable scenario. You become seriously ill or injured and medical decisions have to be made by someone else.

Would you want the decision-maker over your life and health to be your ex? Or someone in your ex’s family?

Again, some states have statutes that prevent this, but some don’t. And laws can change.

Something this important is worth a little time and should not be left to chance. The stakes are simply too high.

Read more in this Wall Street Journal article: After Divorce, Separate Your Estate Plans Too

Father and Mother have Baby together. Baby was born premature.

When Baby is one year old, Mother takes Baby to hospital.

At that time, Baby weighs 10 pounds … the amount a six week old baby should weigh, about half of what a one year old baby should weigh.

Baby was determined to be “severely malnourished” and, in essence, dying.

Mother allegedly neglected Baby’s medication, oxygen and failed to keep his doctor appointments.

Baby is removed from Mother’s care and placed into custody of child welfare agency. Agency places Baby with Father’s sister.

Baby has gained thirteen pounds in one month.

Mother has been charged with attempted murder of Baby. Mother has two other babies in her care. Mother’s family is barred from contact with Baby.

Mother’s family vows to pursue winning back custody of Baby.

Read more in

1. this Fox 10 Phoenix article: Mother Charged With Attempted Murder Of One-Year-Old Malnourished Baby
2. this Fox 31 Denver article: Dad of 1-year-old who weighed 10 pounds speaks out; child is recovering and
3. this Yahoo News article: Mother Charged After 1-Year-Old Weighing Only 10 Pounds Admitted To Hospital

People who are divorced may be able to claim social security benefits based on their own work record and/or their ex-spouse’s work record.

The impact of this is that they may be able to begin collecting one of their benefits, the lesser one, at a younger age, while still building up their other benefit until a later age, before switching to that benefit.

Your remarriage can squelch your right to a benefit based on your ex’s work record.

Also, if your ex-spouse is still alive, your ex must already have applied for their own benefit.

For some people, these so-called dualie options can make a significant impact on their total benefits received.

Read more in

1. this USA Today article: Getting remarried may affect Social Security and
2. this Motley Fool article: Regarding Social Security Benefits, What Widows and Ex-Spouses Must Know .

And here they are:

First, on a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being the best, how happy would you be if you and your spouse split up?

It seems self-evident that the answer to this one will correlate highly with the divorce rate.

The second question is a bit more provocative.

On a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 being the best, how happy would your spouse be if you and your spouse split up?

In a six year study of roughly 3,600 couples, the highest rates of divorce were among couples where the spouses answered this question wrong. In other words, they misjudged just how happy their spouse was in their marriage … especially where they overestimated their spouse’s happiness in their marriage.

This group had twice the average divorce rate across the entire study group.

While there’s more than one possible explanation behind this result, the simplest is that the couples in this group do not have good rapport with each other.

And this points to the obvious: check in with your spouse and find out how they really feel about your marriage. If you are both happy, that’s great and you’re done. If your spouse is not as happy as you thought, maybe you can improve things. If your spouse learns that you are not as happy as they thought, maybe they will be motivated to improve things.

Read more in this Yahoo Finance article via Business Insider: How you and your partner answer 2 questions can help predict if your relationship will last

As recently as 2007, Texas’ juvenile justice system was a horror. Abuse and sexual abuse and neglect were rampant.

Once brought to light, Texas revamped its entire juvenile justice system, and has made tremendous progress at serving the needs of Texas’ delinquent youth.

Today, the needs of misdemeanor offenders are addressed closer to home rather than in far-flung state facilities.

The budgets of local juvenile probation departments were augmented so that they could provide more services and residential facilities at the local level.

And juvenile crime has decreased by one-third as a result. Recidivism is lower and for less serious offenses.

There is still room for improvement, yet much that other states could learn from Texas’ example.

Read more in this New York Times article: The Texas Way on Juvenile Justice .

Maine Father and Mother have four year old Daughter. Mother wants to relocate to Florida.

Father uses medical marijuana. At trial, the Maine family court awarded custody of Daughter to Mother and apparently granted permission to Mother to relocate.

Father appeals, contending that the family court’s ruling at trial was an improper penalty against Father for availing himself of a medical remedy that is legal in Maine.

On appeal, Maine’s Supreme Judicial Court upheld the family court’s ruling at trial.

The appellate court delved into the findings of fact made at trial by the family court.

“[Father] uses large amounts of medical marijuana … and has a great deal of marijuana, in many forms, all over the home. Friends and relatives … often drop by the house to obtain or ingest marijuana, and the child has been exposed to marijuana.”

Father has “ voluminous amounts of marijuana-infused baked goods in the freezer and a jar full of marijuana in the kitchen cabinet”.

The evidence at trial in the family court also indicated that Daughter suffered with an ear infection for eighteen days before Father sought treatment for her, and locked Daughter in her room, without access to a bathroom, for an extended period so that he could have privacy while using his medical marijuana.

Based on the evidence presented to the family court at trial, the family court concluded that Father had neglected, if not endangered Daughter, and exercised poor parenting judgment. It did not base its custody award on Father’s use of medical marijuana per se, but rather on Father’s parenting.

Read more in this Bangor [ME] Daily News article: Maine Supreme Court rules against medical marijuana patient in child custody appeal .

British Husband and Wife have a Child together prior to their marriage.

Wife reports that Husband became more volatile and controlling after she became pregnant.

Their wedding day arrives. They have a lovely, happy wedding.

When Wife is ready to get ready for bed, she requests help getting out of her wedding dress.

And then, according to Wife, Husband instead attacked her … and Wife was in fear for her life.

As a result of the wedding night incident:

1. A restraining order of injunction is entered against Husband
2. Husband pleads guilty to a criminal assault charge
3. Husband is ordered to do community service for two years
4. Husband is ordered to pay Wife compensation for her injuries and
5. Wife files for divorce.

Read more in this New York Post news article: Man beats wife on wedding night after failing to get her dress off

New Zealand Husband and Armenian Wife have their Baby while both are living in Armenia. Immediately after Baby’s birth, Baby is diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome.

Armenia reportedly treats those diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome little better than outcasts and provides minimal support for their optimal development and integration into mainstream society.

Husband is prepared to return to New Zealand with Baby to give Baby the opportunity to develop optimally and thrive in mainstream society there.

Wife reportedly is torn and uncertain about Baby – and, possibly, Husband.

Husband and Wife divorce almost immediately after Baby’s birth. (It’s not entirely clear precisely which of them really wanted the divorce or why.)

Husband tells his story on a website, hoping to raise money via donations from others who want to help him and Baby return to New Zealand and start a good life for Baby.

Hoping to generate $60,000, Husband has in fact raised $350,000 – so far.

Husband promises that he will donate some of the extra monies raised to charities in Armenia (and New Zealand) that better the options and lives of people with Down’s Syndrome.

Wife responds publicly that Husband was not there for her at the most difficult time of her life and, in effect, abandoned her, prematurely.

The details are just sparse enough that it is uncertain whether Baby’s removal from Armenia may run afoul of any Armenian child custody laws or any international child custody jurisdiction laws, such as the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Read more in

• this Yahoo Parenting article: Dad Divorced by Wife Over Son With Down Syndrome Raises $350K and
• this Yahoo News article: Woman Defends Herself After Husband Says She Gave up Newborn With Down Syndrome .

Thirteen separate warrants for contempt of Ohio family courts have been issued against Father.

Father allegedly owes past due child support for children living in Ohio, and has been ignoring pending child support cases in Ohio for four years.

Twenty-four different child support cases, to be precise. Eighteen in a single Ohio county.

The total number of children involved in these child support cases has not been disclosed

Father allegedly owes $368,000 to multiple mothers of his alleged children in Ohio.

Father was captured as a result of the persistence of a law enforcement officer in the county with the eighteen different child support cases pending against Father. An old-fashioned stakeout of some of Father’s friends hit pay dirt.

Father is now confined and will be incarcerated for well over a year, serving a month for each contempt warrant against him.

Read more in this Chicopee [MA] News 22 WWLP TV article via CNN: Fugitive arrested for owing $300K in child support