On Monday, host of the daytime talk show "The View", Sherri Shepherd, took the initial steps in ending her marriage to husband of three years Lamar Sally, filing divorce papers in New Jersey.
The action follows Sally's filing legal separation papers in California several days earlier. In Sally's filing he requested full custody of the couple's unborn baby who is currently being carried by a surrogate. Unlike her husband, Shepherd apparently did not mention the child in her own filing.
According to sources Shepherd and Sally signed a prenuptial before getting married which indicated that she would retain custody of the child in the case of divorce. Additionally, the prenup is said to include a clause which stipulates that Sally will receive compensation of only $60,000 if the marriage lasts between two years and five years.
The fact that both parties filed their legal actions in different states, means that the divorce proceedings could become significantly more complicated than if they had both filed in the same state. In separate state filings, which are filed at roughly the same time - known as "concurrent filing" - usually the state in which the divorce action was filed first will hear the case. But in this situation Sally is reported to have filed for separation, not divorce. Further complicating matters will be potential issues regarding state residency, and the custody of the unborn child.
If you have filed for a divorce or legal separation and your spouse is looking to content the terms of the agreement, then things could get complicated really fast. That is why you need a trusted divorce lawyer to stand up for you both inside and outside of court. Here at H. Benjamin Perez & Associates, P.C. we handle divorce on a daily basis and we know what it takes to reach a favorable outcome in your case. Contact our office today to speak with our New York City divorce lawyer today.