Madonna and Guy Ritchie, Part 5

I have noticed in my reading and research that Madonna’s divorce from Guy Ritchie presents an amazingly compact nugget of family law information. Their situation presents an example from which to answer questions about divorce, if we assume the hypothetical that the divorce was here in Oregon. I hope you can see the same wealth of knowledge that this news story presents to me. I have used celebrity cases such as Alec Baldwin and Britney Spears to educate TV audiences about how “regular” divorces can parallel the issues that famous people also experience.

What do you do if, as is true for Madonna and Guy Ritchie, the cost of affording your lifestyle is greater than the child support and spousal support payments that would be typical? Even for less wealthy couples, such as the vast majority of the population, child support is ridiculously low. You can submit a request to the court for a higher amount based on a budget that you also submit, showing your greater needs and the time you have enjoyed that lifestyle. The more common way to receive greater child support or spousal support is simply to agree to it privately and then write it into your agreement. You don’t need a judge to order it, but a court is one way to get to that outcome if private negotiations fail.