Austin Divorce Lawyer

The recently released abusive phone calls between Mel Gibson and his girlfriend have domestic violence experts and psychologists across the country reminding people, verbal abuse usually leads to physical abuse.

Verbal abuse is an often overlooked and underreported issue.  Some victims of verbal abuse may not even realize that they are being abused and others simply do not report it.  However, Cesar Campa, spokesman for The Center Against Family Violence in El Paso, Texas, states, “If the’re not respecting you, the best bet is to get out of the relationship”. Furthermore, he said that 90 percent of verbal abuse turns into physical abuse over time.

“You don’t have to wait until you’ve already been hit, or you’ve already been beaten and you’re already on your way to the hospital.  If you are in eminent danger, if you feel that they have been threatening you, they’re harassing you and you feel like, ‘Yes, something definitely is going to happen,’ you can get help,” stated Campa.

If you or someone you love has been the  victim of domestic violence, contact the Austin domestic violence lawyers of Slater Kennon & Jameson LLP at 512-472-2431 to learn more about your rights.

Michael Blasingame and Diana Huynh of Plano were in the middle of a child custody case over their 2-year old son Eitan in 2008 after splitting up.  In March 2008, Blasingame, who had been living in Lafayette, Louisiana during the split, was supposed to bring Eitan to his mother’s home in Plano.  However, Blasingame never showed up and has yet to be found.

Earlier this month, U.S. Marshalls announced the arrest of Blasingame’s mother who was found to have been providing money to her son to escape.  51-year old Renee Blasingame is facing interference with child custody charges for helping her son flee to Mexico City, Germany, Yemen, Ethiopia, Thailand, and Malaysia with Eitan.

Michael Blasingame is facing federal charges of international parental kidnapping and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

If you or someone you know needs help settling a child custody dispute, contact the Austin child custody lawyers of Slater Kennon & Jameson, LLP at 512-472-2431 to learn more about your rights.

A couple seeking divorce in Maryland was recently awarded split custody of their beloved Lhasa Apso.

In Maryland, family pets are treated as jointly owned marital property.  If a couple cannot decide who will keep the pet, then the pet is to be sold and the proceeds of the sale are to be split between owners.

However, a retired Judge Graydon S. McKee III on special assignment to the case agreed to split custody of the dog between Gayle and Craig Myers for six months of the year each.  McKee made his decision after hearing testimony from Gayle and Craig and stated, “It was very clear that both of them love this dog equally”.

If you or someone you know is considering filing for divorce, contact the Austin divorce lawyers of Slater Kennon & Jameson, LLP at 512-472-2431 to learn more about your rights.

Three researches from The University of California San Diego, Harvard University, and Brown University found a new phenomena they call “divorce clustering”.  In studying 12,000 people across the United States the researchers found that people with divorced friends or family in close social circles have dramatically greater chances of getting a divorce.

People with a divorced friend in their primary social circle are 75 percent more likely to get divorced than people with happily married friends.  In addition, people with friends of friends who are divorced are 33 percent more likely to become divorced.

Furthermore, people working with a divorced coworker are 55 percent more likely to become divorced, and  people with a divorced sibling are 22 percent more likely to become divorced.

If you or someone you know is considering filing for divorce, contact the Austin divorce attorneys of Slater Kennon & Jameson, LLP at 512-472-2431 to learn more about your rights.

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former presidential candidate and North Carolina governor John Edwards, stated in a recent People Magazine interview that she and John would not be pursuing a divorce, but will remain separated unless one decides to remarry.

Separations do not allow for a spouse to remarry.  In order to remarry, one must be legally divorced.

In the interview, Elizabeth expresses how difficult it was for her to leave her husband of thirty-two years after hearing of his unfaithfulness.  In addition, she says she found strength in her mother, whose husband was also unfaithful and taught her “how to continue your life on your own terms when somehow it becomes savaged by people you never invited into it”.

John Edwards admitted to having an affair with a former campaign videographer after she revealed that he had fathered her child.

If you or someone you know is considering filing for divorce, contact the Austin divorce attorneys of Slater Kennon & Jameson, LLP at 512-472-2431 to learn more about your rights.