A study by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) confirms that custody battles over pets have been steadily increasing over the past decade.

In cases where a child is involved, the study find that the judge will usually keep the pet with the child.

However according to Ken Altshuler, the president of the AAML, cases in which the pet is treated as a child are becoming more and more frequent.

This situation arises most frequently is cases of same-sex marriages, domestic partnerships, and civil unions.

Historically, pets were considered property in most states and were treated as such in divorce proceedings. However, this is no longer the case. Altshuler said, “Judges are viewing them more akin to children than dining-room sets. They are recognizing that people have an emotional attachment to their animals”.

According to court documents, Bobby Brown was so broke after his divorce to the late singer, Whitney Houston, that he was living out of his car.

Bobby claims that the reason he was forced to live out of his car was that he had to support Houston and their daughter, Bobbi Kris, while Houston was in rehab. Brown claims he spent upwards of 10,000 to put Houston and Bobbi Kris up in a hotel while Houston sought treatment for her drug problem.

Houston stated in court documents that she believed the reason Bobby was homeless was because of his “personal conduct”.

A new study shows that playing online role-playing games can seriously damage your marriage.

The study shows that arguments about these games are very frequent. Besides causing frequent arguments, dedicating an excessive amount of time to role-playing games seriously cuts into the time a couple spend with one another.

In the study of 349 couples, 75% said they wished their partner would spend less time playing role-playing games and more time working on their marriage.

However among those 349 couples, 39% both played role-playing games and a large majority said the games positively influenced their marriage.

Don Cornelius’ son believes that his father’s poor health and divorce contributed to his death. Cornelius, the creator of Soul Train, was found dead on Feb 1 after apparently shooting himself.

Cornelius’ divorce with ex-wife Victoria was settled in 2009. Cornelius requested a quick divorce, stating that he would like to “finalize the divorce before I die.”

Cornelius was 72 at the time of the divorce and was in poor health.

Though Cornelius’ son, Tony, says his father was not depressed before he died, he believes that his father’s health coupled with the stress of the divorce may have led his father to commit suicide.

Lawrence D. Kudlik, 51, of 2 Bartlett St., Beverley, NY was cleared of several minor counts while being found guilty of assault and battery.

A NY prosecutor said he was probably ”at then end of his rope” when the assault was committed.  Kudil assaulted his soon-be-be ex wife’s new husband, Robert Womack after 21 years of marriage.

Womack arrived at Kubey’s home to pick up his daughter, when Kudick assaulted him. Kudick punched Womack in the face during the altercation.

Kubey and his ex-wave children together but after 21 years of marriage to his ex and several financial dilemmas their divorce finallyended in  disastrous situation.

Kobe Bryant’s soon-to-be ex-wife Vanessa is already benefitting from the couple’s split. Vanessa is due to receive three mansions in a settlement.

The homes are valued at over $18 million.

Vanessa is expected to receive at least $75 million in the divorce settlement. That does not take into account child and spousal support, which she is also expected to receive.

Divorce is a stressful situation to find yourself in. So stressful in fact that you may need to being to find ways to keep your sanity intact. Here are 3 things that can help:

1. Appreciate Advice from Friends: Though your friends may be driving you up a wall with constant reassurance and advice, realize that this is their way of showing you that they love you and are here to support you during your divorce.

2. People Make Mistakes: Divorce was not what you imagined when you took your vows, however thats where you are now. Realize that people make mistakes and now is the time to learn from yours and move on.

3. Throw Things Out: Many things are acquired during a marriage, not all of those things should be held on to. Take an inventory of your possessions and determine which ones you need and which ones you are holding onto out of nostalgia.

Katy Perry and Russel Brand dismissed the celebrity tradition of signing pre-nups in the hopes of have a normal relationship. This need for normalcy is now going to have a major negative effect on Perry’s bank account.

Under California law Perry could stand to lose around $20 million in her divorce.  California law says assets must be divided evenly during a divorce in the absence of a pre-nuptial agreement.

Brand is currently valued at $17 million.

In Touch Weekly has reported that Jada Pinkett Smith has met with divorce lawyer, Laura Wasserstein.

Jada is married to actor and musician,Will Smith. The couple denied rumors in August that their marriage was in trouble. However, since Jada is meeting with Wesser it would seem that Will and Jada are done denying their impending divorce.

Wasser is known for representing celebrity clients such as, Brittney Spears, Kim Kardashian, and Maria Shriver.

Jada has reportedly been putting off filing for divorce, but has decided to finally officially end her marriage. She has even reportedly turned down high profile jobs in order to spend more time with her children during the divorce.

Tate County Judge, Leigh Ann Darby, broke into her home over the holidays to retrieve some of her possessions. Darby and her husband are currently going through a divorce.

Over the last few months the couple has began the process of separating, which included Darby moving out of her home. Over the holidays Darby returned to her home to retrieve some personal possessions.

When Darby attempted to open the door she found that the locks had been changed. Instead of calling her estranged husband, she broke in the back door with a hammer.

Darby’s husband found that the back door bad been broken into and called the authorities. Darby, however, was not arrested because the Sheriff’s department says that since she owns the house, she did nothing wrong.