Family Law

How not to win a custody dispute....Celebrity Style

By Alexander Rhoads

Judging by the front cover of most issues of People magazine, it seems that every week we have yet another silly celebrity break-up and custody fight inflicted upon us. The vast majority aren't worth mentioning, But this week's news provides a concrete, real-life example of how to lose a child custody dispute with just one simple phone call.

It has been widely reported that Alec Baldwin left a voicemail for his 11 year-old daughter that appears to violate two of the most important rules of custody litigation: 1) Don't put the child in the middle of the parents' dispute; and, 2) If you're going to ignore Rule #1, don't give the other side hard evidence of your inability to distinguish the roles of parent and spouse. That voicemail should be Exhibit #1 in Ms. Basinger's case.

Full post as published by Iowa Divorce and Family Law on April 25, 2007 (boomark / email).