Pennsylvania Family Law Blog

In Hollywood divorce news, Madonna and her husband of seven and a half years, Guy Ritchie, have announced they are beginning divorce proceedings. Madonna’s publicist e-mailed a statement (co-signed by Ritchie’s rep) to the Associated Press on October 15, confirming the news. The joint-statement reads:

“Madonna and Guy Ritchie have agreed to divorce after seven and a half years of marriage, their representatives confirmed today,” Liz Rosenberg, Madonna’s U.S. representative, said in the joint statement to AP. “They have both requested that the media maintain respect for their family at this difficult time. A final settlement has not been agreed upon yet.”

Ritchie and Madonna, who live in London, reportedly want to create a mutual postnuptial agreement before going to court. Their assets include homes in New York, Los Angeles, and London along with a 1,200-acre estate in Wiltshire, England. Their aggregate estate is alleged to be worth about $525 million U.S., with $35 million of that belonging to Ritchie.

Not many divorces require press releases and involve distributing millions of dollars in assets, but it does not make them any less difficult to deal with. Divorce is a devastating, life changing event that should never be entered into lightly. If you or a loved one is facing a divorce in Pennsylvania do not hesitate to contact the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz, PC, even if just for a first free consultation on how you should proceed. Our office is always upfront about potential outcomes and fees. Contact us immediately with any and all of your questions.

A recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune discussed the recent surge of postnuptial agreements. These agreements are very similar to a pre-marital agreement, but instead are entered into AFTER a couple has been married. While they are still very rare (only 1 or 2 percent of married couples request postnuptial agreements) the agreements could become more popular in the near future as they become more common in practice. In fact, a 2007 study by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) indicated that 49 percent of the members said they’d seen an increase in postnups in the past five years.

These marital agreements and reconciliation agreements cover much of the same ground that prenuptial agreements do: issues of property division, spousal maintenance or the protection of inheritances for children from previous marriages. The big difference is that they’re entered into during a marriage, sometimes an unhappy marriage, which makes them especially hard to execute.

Postnups can be used in innovative ways that most would not suspect… Some married women use them after stepping out of the workforce to protect their financial future. Parents with special-needs children, or with grown children suddenly down on their luck, can also use a postnup to secure additional child support funds to care for them. A loving spouse might decide to add his wife to share ownership of a family property or item that otherwise would not be hers.

In Pennsylvania, prenuptial and post nuptial agreements are considered the same as any other contract parties may enter into and, therefore, are presumed to be valid and enforceable. If you have any questions regarding pre-marital, co-habitation, or post-marital agreements contact our offices immediately. Sheryl R. Rentz, a Pennsylvania family law attorney, is fully familiar with the particulars of each state’s premarital and co-habitation agreement laws. Contact us for a free evaluation and consultation today.