Back in March, we discussed yet another development in the celebrity divorce of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries. At the time, Humphries was putting together a surely-expensive legal team and has since pursued fraud allegations against Kardashian, accusing her of establishing a fake marriage. As part of that claim, Humphries wants ownership of a 20-karat engagement ring (valued around $2 million or, in other terms, a fifth of the estimated cost of their wedding) he gave to Kardashian.
Now, this is an extreme example of a marital asset -- the value of the ring reaches a level that few Pennsylvania residents can relate to. This dispute merely shows that material items can become divisive topics during a divorce; so divisive that hours upon hours have to be spent in court to determine the rightful owner. Isn't it more efficient, effective and inexpensive to seek a simple, uncontested no-fault divorce, allowing you to determine the ownership of these assets on your own and out of court?
Legally, the ring is a gift of marriage that Humphries gave to Kardashian. The gift becomes "completed" when the marriage takes place, so it would seem Humphries has a large evidentiary threshold to cross before he can prove the engagement ring belongs to him. It could take a lot of time for his legal team to put together the necessary evidence to present in court -- and all those hours mean dollar signs for his attorneys.
Thankfully Pennsylvania residents can go about their separation in a more sensible and cost-effective manner. A simple, uncontested no-fault divorce is a solution to a couple's marital problems, affording them the chance to amicably settle on the matters in their divorce on their own terms. Remember this when you and your spouse discuss dividing up the items accumulated during your time together: Who paid for what virtually never matters and those items are valued at what they are worth now, not what it would cost to buy new ones. Keeping these two facts in mind will make dividing up your personal property much easier...and the legal fees to fight for them would likely greatly exceed their value. Source: Huffington Post, "Kim Kardashian Divorce: Kris Humphries Wants Engagement Ring Back," May 8, 2012
