Father Obtains Custody of the Children and a Future Termination Date of Spousal Support
N/AOUTCOME: Out of Trial Settlement
Our firm represented the father in an Orange County divorce. The spouses were married for approximately 13 years. Allegations flew back and froth between the spouses. They had two minor children. Mothe ... r claimed father was an unfit parent. Mother wanted primary custody of the children. Our client claimed mother was verbally abusive toward the children and a poor care provider. Father also claimed the mother’s new boyfriend had become a higher priority to mother than the children and that she was not caring for the children’s best interest as a result. Father claimed it was in the children’s best for him to have primary custody. The spouses had a pretty standard estate. They owned a home and cars, there were bank and retirement accounts. Our client was the primary wage earner. The divorce case was initially litigated. We believed in our client’s allegations had evidence in support of it. Ultimately, to our client’s satisfaction, the case settled. The parties agreed to joint legal custody but our client, the father, was awarded primary physical custody of the children. The estate was divided up fairly. Even though it was a long term marriage, we negotiated a future termination date of spousal support to cut off our client’s obligation to pay spousal support. Not only did our client save many thousands of dollars in attorney fees by avoiding a trial but he got a result that we believe was just as good, if not better in some respects, than he could have received through the litigation process. This case is a good example of what an experienced family law litigator can achieve outside of the courtroom. Mr. Sundly is a skillful litigator and gets great courtroom results but he is also a talented negotiator who can avoid litigation and the fees associated with it and get a settlement that clients are very happy about.
