In researching blog topics this week, I ran across two headline cases.  Both deal with a divorce in a unique way.

The first headline was that Heidi Klum filed for divorce from Seal.  Celebrity divorces are nothing new.  They fascinate us because they are windows into the lifestyles of the rich and famous.  Money can’t buy happiness – whether in life and marriage.  In fact, the stress of a high-profile life seems to make success at marriages even more difficult than that of most people.  This case, in particular, seems to be attracting interest only because the couple seemed happy with no outward signs of trouble.  They still are refusing to release details, for the sake of their children.  Thank goodness some celebrities still have integrity and case about the welfare of their children above all else.

The second headline which I found is controversial in the extreme.  A Maryland court denied the request for a divorce to two lesbians based on their same-sex marriage.  Maryland does not allow same-sex marriage but the couple was married in California during the period when same-sex marriage was legal.

Without commenting on the specifics of this issue, I will only say that the law often does not keep up with social developments or even technological developments, for that matter.  When sweeping changes occur in society or technology, it often takes years for the courts to catch up.  In the interim period, we have a sort of limbo in which individuals get caught up with no way to address specific issues.  Unfortunately, the victims of this can sometimes be children such as when surrogacy or in vitro fertilization was in its infancy.

In Wisconsin, we tend to be more conservative in our laws, especially as they relate to divorce and family law.  As an experienced divorce attorney at Nelson, Krueger & Millenbach, LLC, I would say that the family law courts in Wisconsin in particular tend to be conservative in their rulings.  This avoids these types of ground-breaking legal issues which often take years to resolve.