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Riley Law Firm, PLC, 101 North First Avenue, Suite 990, Phoenix, AZ (2026)

08/29/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

What happens when a person's income drops after divorce? Following his divorce, Fraser sought modifications to his support obligations, arguing that changes in his financial circumstances made it difficult to continue paying support at the previously ordered levels.

His situation highlights an important principle of family law.

Many people assume that support obligations automatically increase or decrease when income changes. In reality, court orders generally remain in effect until they are modified by agreement or by the court.

When a substantial and continuing change in circumstances occurs, a party may be able to seek a modification. Common examples include job loss, retirement, disability, significant changes in earnings, or other major financial developments.

The key issue is often whether the change is genuine, substantial, and likely to continue.

Courts may also examine whether the reduction in income was voluntary, temporary, or beyond the party's control. As a result, support modification cases frequently require detailed financial records and careful analysis of the facts.

The lesson from Fraser's case is simple: support obligations are based on circumstances at a particular point in time, but life does not stand still. When circumstances change significantly, the law may provide a mechanism to revisit the existing order.

The important thing to remember is that a support order does not usually change automatically. If a modification is warranted, action must be taken to obtain it.

This post is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice.

To learn more about our family law practice: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/28/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

Can a prenuptial agreement be thrown out? During Dr. Dre's divorce, one of the issues raised was whether the parties' prenuptial agreement would control the division of property and support obligations. Like many high-asset divorces, the dispute highlighted the importance of properly drafting and preserving premarital agreements.

Courts will enforce a valid prenuptial agreement, but that doesn't mean every agreement survives scrutiny. Challenges may arise regarding whether the agreement was signed voluntarily, whether adequate financial disclosures were provided, or whether the agreement complies with applicable law.

The analysis is often highly fact-specific. A carefully drafted agreement created under the proper circumstances can provide certainty and reduce future litigation. Conversely, an agreement that was rushed, poorly drafted, or improperly executed may create years of additional disputes.

The lesson from the Dr. Dre divorce is simple: a prenuptial agreement is only as strong as the process used to create it.

To learn more about our family law practice, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/27/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

Today's example is a continuation of yesterday's post about Halle Berry's relocation dispute. The custody dispute between Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas involved a slight variation on that theme: What happens when parents want to raise their children in different countries?

When parents live close to one another, parenting time can often be shared regularly. International relocation changes that equation. In international cases, courts consider international law, including treaties, jurisdictional questions, and the applicability of certain international agreements, such as the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

The lesson from the Jonas-Turner dispute is simple: relocation cases are rarely just about geography. They are about preserving stability for children while balancing the rights and responsibilities of both parents. And in international relocation cases, the question becomes much more complicated.

To learn more about our family law practice, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/26/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

Can a parent move away with the children?

Halle Berry was involved in a highly publicized dispute regarding her desire to relocate with her daughter. Many people assume that a parent can simply move wherever they choose. While adults generally have the freedom to relocate, the question becomes more complicated when children are involved.

When a proposed move would significantly affect parenting time, courts are often asked to determine whether the relocation is in the child's best interests. Depending on the circumstances, courts may consider factors such as the reason for the move, the effect on the child's relationship with each parent, educational opportunities, family support systems, and the practical impact on parenting schedules.

These cases can be difficult because there are often legitimate reasons supporting both positions. One parent may have a career opportunity, a new spouse, or family support in another location. The other parent may be concerned about maintaining a meaningful relationship with the child.

The lesson from the Berry relocation dispute is simple: when children are involved, relocation decisions are not about what is best for the parents. Courts focus on what arrangement will best serve the child.

To learn more about our family law practice, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/25/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

What happens when parents disagree about important decisions affecting their children? Over the years, Musk has been involved in several highly publicized disputes concerning parenting and family relationships. While the facts of those cases are unique, they highlight a challenge many parents face after a relationship ends.

Both parents retain the right to participate in major decisions affecting their children after a break-up. Those decisions may involve education, healthcare, religious upbringing, extracurricular activities, or other significant matters.

The system works well when parents agree. Difficulty arises when they don't.

When parents reach an impasse, they may need to negotiate, participate in mediation, or ask the court to resolve the dispute. The court's role is to decide what is in the child's best interests. These disputes can be particularly challenging because both parents often believe they are acting in the child's best interests, even when they strongly disagree about the proper course of action.

The lesson from Musk's family-law disputes is simple: shared decision-making requires communication, compromise, and sometimes outside assistance when agreement cannot be reached.

To learn more about our family law practice, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/24/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

Does the length of a marriage change how assets are divided? Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver were married for more than twenty-five years before their marriage ended. Like many long-term marriages, the case involved substantial assets accumulated over decades.

When people hear about long marriages, they often assume that the duration of the marriage automatically determines how property will be divided. In reality, the analysis is usually more complicated. The first question is often not how long the parties were married, but whether a particular asset is community property, separate property, or a combination of both.

Retirement accounts, real estate, business interests, investment accounts, and other assets may have been acquired at different times and from different sources. As a result, determining ownership frequently requires a detailed examination of the parties' financial history.

That does not mean the length of the marriage is irrelevant. Long-term marriages can have a significant impact on issues such as spousal maintenance, earning capacity, retirement planning, and the practical realities of dividing assets accumulated over many years.

The lesson from the Schwarzenegger divorce is simple: the duration of a marriage matters, but it is rarely the only factor that matters. Before assets can be divided, the court must first determine what is being divided and who owns it.

To learn more about our family law services, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/23/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 4

Why are confidential settlements so common? When Tiger Woods and his former spouse divorced, intense media attention surrounded nearly every aspect of the case. Despite that attention, many of the details regarding their settlement remained private.

Their case highlights an important reality of family law. While court proceedings are often matters of public record, parties frequently have strong incentives to resolve disputes privately. Privacy is one reason. Cost is another. Litigation can be expensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining. Settlement allows the parties to control the outcome rather than asking a judge to make decisions for them.

When settlement is possible, privacy is often one of its greatest benefits.

The lesson from the Woods divorce is simple: many people assume that the most successful family law cases are the ones that produce dramatic courtroom victories. In reality, some of the most successful outcomes are the ones that resolve disputes quietly, efficiently, and outside the public spotlight. For many families, protecting privacy can be just as important as resolving the legal issues themselves.

To learn more about family law practice, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

08/13/2026

Winters v. Perez: The Fifth Amendment in Family Court

The Arizona Court of Appeals recently issued a helpful opinion about what happens when a party invokes the Fifth Amendment in a divorce case. The issue was whether Father could refuse to answer questions about alleged domestic violence, but still testify about unrelated financial issues.

The Court of Appeals said yes.

In criminal court, a defendant’s use of the Fifth Amendment can’t be used as evidence of guilt. Civil court is different. In a family-court case, the judge may draw a “negative inference” from a party’s refusal to answer questions.

But that negative inference has limits. The court drew an important distinction: if a party invokes the Fifth Amendment on an issue, the judge may draw a negative inference from that silence, and the party cannot use personal testimony to support that same issue. But that does not automatically bar the party from testifying about separate, unrelated issues.

In this case, the domestic-violence allegations were relevant to legal decision-making and parenting time, but not to property and debt. The court held that barring Father from testifying about finances was an unconstitutional penalty for invoking the privilege.

The takeaway: family court cases often involve multiple issues. Invoking the Fifth Amendment on one issue can have serious consequences, but it does not necessarily silence the party on every other issue in the case.

08/11/2026

We are honored to announce that our founder, Dan Riley, will be presenting at the Arizona Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers’ 2026 Untying the Knot conference on October 9 in Tucson. Untying the Knot is one of Arizona’s flagship advanced family-law programs, presented by an organization whose Fellows include many of the most accomplished and respected members of the family-law bar.

Dan will be joining Marshall Willick, with Kaytlyn Yrun-Duffy moderating, for a discussion of some particularly thorny retirement issues that arise in divorce:

— Kelly offsets and the impact of the Social Security Fairness Act, including when an offset remains appropriate and how it should now be calculated.
— Survivor benefits: what they are, why they matter, and the difficult question of whether survivor-benefit rights can still be addressed post-divorce when the decree is silent.

These are technical issues, but they can have very real (and very expensive) consequences for divorcing spouses. Registration is now open.

Friday, October 9, 2026
Omni Tucson National Resort & Spa
Tucson, Arizona

https://azaaml-untying.regfox.com/aaml-untying-the-knot-2026

08/07/2026

Celebrity Family Law Series: Season 3

When Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes announced their divorce in 2012, many observers expected a lengthy and highly public legal battle. Instead, the case was resolved remarkably quickly. The outcome highlights an important reality: not every divorce has to end in a courtroom.

Popular culture often portrays divorce as a drawn-out fight involving months or years of litigation. While some cases require extensive court involvement, many are resolved through negotiation, mediation, settlement conferences, or other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Settlement often offers significant advantages. The parties retain more control over the outcome, reduce legal expenses, maintain greater privacy, and avoid the uncertainty that comes with asking a judge to decide the case.

The lesson from the Cruise-Holmes divorce is simple: a successful family law case is not measured by how long it lasts or how aggressively it is litigated. The best outcome is often the one that resolves the dispute efficiently while protecting the interests that matter most.

To learn more about our family law practice, visit our website: https://www.rileyplc.com/

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