Raleigh North Carolina Family Law Blog

North Carolina voters officially defined marriage as being only between a man and a woman, making same-sex marriages unconstitutional in this state. As we discussed previously on this blog, several other states had already voted to approve amendments to their constitutions prohibiting gay marriage. North Carolina has now become the 30th state to do so. The amendment also prohibits civil unions and domestic partnerships for both same-sex and one-man-one-woman relationships

However, the vote may have little effect on same-sex couples throughout North Carolina. Same-sex civil unions were not recognized here and same-sex marriages were already prohibited by North Carolina law. Some local governments, including Durham County and Orange County, extend the same benefits to same-sex couples as are offered to married couples; officials don't expect that to change in light of the Constitutional amendment.

An unmarried father came away with a recent victory in the almost five-year battle he has waged to obtain custody of his daughter. He now has visitation rights to his daughter, whom he's only been allowed to see once in the four and a half years since her birth.

Rob Manzanares wasn't married to the mother when their daughter was born, but he filed a paternity suit to establish that he was the girl's father prior to her birth. The mother acknowledged that Manzanares was the girl's father and a final order of paternity was entered by the Colorado court shortly after the baby was born. Just before the baby's birth, the mother moved to Utah and consented to the baby's adoption by the mother's brother and sister-in-law. Manzanares objected to the adoption and continued to assert his rights to custody and/or visitation as the child's biological father.

Allegations of abuse are going both directions in divorce documents filed recently by Thomas and Nancy Beatie. Thomas is more famously known as the "pregnant man." Although he had undergone the external transition from female to male, including have his breasts removed, he left his internal female organs intact and was able to become pregnant. Thomas made news in 2008 when delivered, not by C-section, the first of three children he now shares with Nancy.

Thomas claims that Nancy kicked him in the genitals earlier this year, along with several other instances of abuse. Nancy claims that she was the victim in the marriage and that Thomas repeatedly emotionally and physically abused her throughout the course of their nine year marriage.

It's not uncommon for domestic abuse claims to be made during divorce proceedings. The existence of an abuse in a marital relationship can be a reason to unequally divide property or to favor one parent over the other in determining child custody issues. Fearing retaliation from a spouse for filing for divorce should not stop you from ending abusive marriage. It is possible to obtain a restraining order against your spouse if domestic violence is an issue in your situation.

Part of going through or contemplating divorce is often swearing off dating or promising yourself that you are never getting married again. But, there is no need to give pup on love entirely. Former Golden Girl Betty White has a different spin on her first two marriages that ended in divorce, "The first two were... rehearsals."

Betty White was married to her third husband, Allen Ludden, for 18 years before he passed away. Her first two marriages lasted under a combined three years. Despite the eventual success of her third marriage, White was also hesitant to marry again after her first two tries turned out to be less than successful.

It took a year of proposals before she finally said yes to Ludden. A white stuffed bunny, laden with diamond earrings and carrying a note asking her to "Please Say Yes?" finally won her over.