- Mississippi man jailed for failing to pay child support
Posted May 8, 2008, 5:25 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Kosciusko man going to jail for not paying child support A Kosciusko, Mississippi man was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $68,215.87 in back child support. According to the article, he will serve 2 of the 10 years in prison for failing to pay the child support. The Mississippi attorney general's office prosecuted the case. It is good to see Mississippi in the news prosecuting those who fail to uphold their financial responsibilities to their children.
- Mississippi Divorce Guide
Posted May 7, 2008, 5:41 am by Robert Kisselburgh
/**/ Free Mississippi Divorce Guide For those contemplating a divorce or just considering their options, you might find the answers to your questions in my recently completed C.D.--the Mississippi Divorce Guide. In the C.D., I discuss: Different ways to resolve a divorce; An overview of a divorce case in Mississippi; How is the property divided in a divorce; How child custody is determined; What are the child support guidelines in Mississippi; and 5 steps to take when divorce is at your...
- Politician targeted by bitter ex-spouse
Posted April 25, 2008, 7:17 am by Robert Kisselburgh
The old saying is that "Hell Hath no Fury like a Woman Scorned." Well, it appears it applies to men as well. In South Carolina, a man is running his own ad campaign against a local politician he claims had an affair with his ex-wife. According to the article, the man was granted a divorce based on charges of adultery between the wife and the politician. It appears the ex-husband is not over the divorce and is ensuring everyone in the community knows about the affair.
- Ex-WorldCom CEO's wife files for divorce
Posted April 23, 2008, 7:45 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Bernie Ebbers' wife files for divorce in Madison County, Mississippi Bernie Ebbers' wife filed for divorce from her imprisoned husband in Madison County, Mississippi this last week. Ebbers was sent to prison in 2006 after his conviction for securities fraud and conspiracy while head of WorldCom. He is not expected to be released from prison until 2028. According to the Clarion-Ledger article, the couple married in 1999 and Ms. Ebbers still resides in their Bridgewater home in Ridgeland,...
- Mad wife takes her complaints to the airwaves
Posted April 18, 2008, 5:46 am by Robert Kisselburgh
YouTube video of wife upset at husband Tricia Walsh-Smith is now the poster child of what not to do when going through a divorce. Unhappy with how her husband is treating her in the divorce and unhappy with the prenuptial agreement she signed, this wife decided to make a video where she talks about how she is being mistreated, how her sex life with her husband (or lack thereof), and other various complaints. Then she posted the video to YouTube for everyone to see. While it can make fascinating...
- Covenant Marriage Bill Dead in Mississippi House
Posted April 15, 2008, 7:12 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Covenant Marriage Bill Dies in Mississippi House In an update to a previous post, the House killed a bill enacting covenant marriages in Mississippi. An amendment was added to HB 1088 by the Senate which would have authorized covenant marriages. However, the bill died in the Mississippi House on April 10th.
- IRS auditing more returns
Posted April 14, 2008, 2:44 pm by Robert Kisselburgh
Internal Revenue Service auditing more returns Given this is the tax season, we are reminded by a number of news reports that the Internal Revenue Service is stepping up its audits of small businesses and individuals. According to a recent article, one of the areas which gets divorced couples in trouble is the non-reporting of alimony as income as well as those paying child support seeking to deduct those payments from their taxes. As discussed in a previous post, the general rule is recipients...
- Breaking up is harder to do
Posted April 6, 2008, 5:31 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Downturn in housing market impacts divorce The downturn in the housing market is impacting the ability of some to divorce. Quite frankly, they can not afford to divorce given they owe more on their home than it is worth. In an article out of California, the impact of the housing downturn is amplified. While housing prices were up, it was easier to split the couple's assets with the home usually being the largest asset. As one person quoted in the article said, "the hardest thing was picking a...
- Another Clerk arrested for theft of child support funds
Posted April 4, 2008, 6:58 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Nacogdoches district clerk arrested Similar to the case previously reported out of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, a district clerk in Nacogdoches, Texas has been arrested and charged with theft by a public servant. She also resigned her position the same day and apologized for her "wrongdoings." The clerk is accused of taking over $15,000 in child support payments which she is responsible for depositing in the bank. The clerk bonded out and awaits trial.
- GMA wants to interview men receiving alimony
Posted April 2, 2008, 7:20 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Good Morning America doing story on men receiving alimony In a follow-up to my post yesterday about the Wall Street Journal article on men receiving alimony, Good Morning America is now seeking men who are receiving alimony. Here's your chance for 15 minutes of fame. So if you are a man and receiving alimony from your ex-wife, click here for details on contacting GMA.
- Alimony--Not Just For Women
Posted April 1, 2008, 6:48 am by Robert Kisselburgh
More women paying their ex-husbands alimony The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article this morning about the rise in men receiving alimony. According to the article, the number of men receiving alimony from their former wives rose from 2.4% to 3.6% in a five year period ending 2006. Today, females make more money than their spouses in 33% of all families. And it also appears the distaste some have for paying alimony crosses gender lines. As one woman said, "I feel financially raped"...
- Common tax pitfalls in a divorce
Posted March 28, 2008, 5:28 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Common tax issues in a divorce As a Mississippi divorce lawyer, I've seen my share of tax issues arise during a divorce. Three common tax issues are: whether alimony payments are taxable, whether child support payments are taxable, and which spouse gets to takes the tax exemption for the children. With regard to alimony, the Internal Revenue Service states that alimony "is a payment to or for a spouse or former spouse under a divorce or separation instrument." To be alimony, certain...
- Tis the Tax Season
Posted March 26, 2008, 8:33 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Some tips for the tax season As CPAs, accountants, and others are burning the midnight oil preparing tax returns, a recent article provides some helpful tips for those undergoing a divorce or recently divorced. In my next post, I will discuss some common tax problems in a divorce.
- Covenant Marriage not yet dead in Mississippi Legislature
Posted March 21, 2008, 9:19 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Covenant Marriage re-introduced in new Senate amendment During this legislative session, the idea of a new form of marriage, "covenant marriage," was introduced. In the "covenant marriage," the couple agrees to undergo premartial counseling before applying for a marriage license. O.K., not a bad idea so far. But here is the kicker. By entering into a "covenant marriage," you agree to modify your rights to get divorced. As currently proposed, if you entered into a covenant marriage and then...
- Marriage Annulled After Divorce?
Posted March 14, 2008, 5:28 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Wife granted annulment when husband turned out to be a woman Here is an story that will leave you with more questions than answers. A man and wife (or so they thought) were married for seven years before getting divorced. Then the wife looked through an old high school yearbook and discovered that her "ex-husband" was a woman in high school. The woman went back to court and was granted an annulment of the marriage. The question remains--how were they married seven years without the wife...
- Madison County one of 3 Mississippi counties monitored by Feds during election
Posted March 11, 2008, 12:54 pm by Robert Kisselburgh
Federal officials will monitor the elections today in Madison County, Mississippi According to CNN, Madison County is one of three counties where Justice Department officials will monitor voting today given past irregularities. Wonder if it has anything to do with the more than 10,000 names purged from the voter rolls last week by one election commissioner, although all the names were restored for today's election? Read here for that story. I hope everyone will exercise their right to vote...
- Pro Poker Player jailed for not paying child support
Posted March 11, 2008, 12:28 pm by Robert Kisselburgh
A professional poker player who makes around $400,000 a year was jailed for failing to pay $160,000 in back child support. According to the article, felony arrest warrants were issued in Wisconsin for the man who lives and works in Las Vegas, Nevada. The man previously appealed a trial court's order which increased his monthly child support from $1,500 to $4,000 a month, but the appellate court denied his appeal finding that he made $400,000 a year which justified the increase. It appears he...
- Valuing and Dividing Retirement Benefits in a Mississippi divorce
Posted March 6, 2008, 4:52 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Dividing Retirement Benefits in a Mississippi divorce Continuing on with my previous post on this subject, the second step for the chancellor in dividing retirement benefits in a Mississippi divorce is valuing the assets. How much are the retirement benefits worth? With a defined contribution plan, this is relatively easy as you know how much money is in the account at the valuation date or you should be able to get that information from the plan administrator. However, what if some of the...
- How the Mississippi judge divides the retirement nest egg
Posted March 4, 2008, 4:44 am by Robert Kisselburgh
/**/ If spouses are unable to agree on how to divide retirement benefits in a Mississippi divorce, then the job falls to the chancellor. Retirement benefits are no different than other property in a divorce. Essentially, there are three steps. Determine the character of the property; Determine the value of the property; and Determine how to divide the property. Let's take each of these steps separately. The first step is determining the character of the property. That is, whether the property...
- Moving to Ridgeland, Mississippi
Posted March 2, 2008, 4:00 am by Robert Kisselburgh
Kisselburgh Law Firm is moving to Ridgeland, Mississippi The boxes are packed, the movers have arrived, and the truck is loaded--we are moving. Starting tomorrow, Monday, March 3rd, our new office is in Ridgeland, Mississippi. We are conveniently located off I-55, south of the new Ridgeland mall, just down Highland Colony Parkway. You can find directions to our office on the "Contact Us" page and we will update it soon with a map once Google and Mapquest get their act together by adding our...