This blog recently discussed the subject of alimony, or spousal support, in California. The divorce between celebrity couple Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith was recently finalized. According to the divorce judgment, Banderas will be required to pay Griffith approximately $55,000 month in spousal support. The divorce judgment also divided the share of the profits from numerous movies between the couple. The couple owned a production company together.
During their marriage, the couple intermingled their business lives, as well as additional aspects of their lives. Griffith filed for divorce in 2014 following 18 years of marriage; the couple shares an 18-year old daughter. Because a divorce involves many important aspects of a life a couple has built together, such as assets, businesses and children, in addition to other important concerns such as investments and retirement accounts, it is important to be familiar with how property is divided.
Property division, spousal support and child support may be some of the concerns divorcing couples have on their minds. Although California is a community property state, and marital property is generally divided equally between the parties, the way that property is divided, or spousal support and child support is determined, can vary based on the unique circumstances of the couple and they needs and goals moving forward.
While the family law legal process is designed to help facilitate the divorce process, couples may be able to agree on a number of divorce-related concerns allowing them to focus more on resolution than disputes. Understanding the family law process may help provide the knowledge that allows divorcing couples to more effectively focus on shared settlements as part of the divorce process.
Source: The San Francisco Chronicle, “Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas’ divorce finalized,” Dec. 8, 2014
