Divorce

NEWPORT BEACH — Sitting on an oversized plush chair in baseball legend Chuck Finley's Newport Beach home, actress Tawny Kitaen seems to be in a much different place than she was eight years ago. A soccer goal is visible in the backyard, and her daughter's art covers the refrigerator in the family home. Her adopted dog, Woody, nuzzles Kitaen as she talks about a new off-camera passion: helping others. A volunteer at Kathy's House, a shelter for at-risk women in San Juan Capistrano, and a member of the board of directors at Testimony Life Resources, an alternative counseling center, Kitaen appears to be a far cry from her role as the eccentric star of "The Surreal Life," or the woman battling a dependency on prescription pills on "Celebrity Rehab.

Wives are more likely than husbands to enter into a divorce ill-informed about personal finances and unprepared for life after marriage, according to some divorce experts. Family law attorney Karen Rhyne of Michel & Rhyne in Newport Beach and Megan Stirrat, a certified divorce financial analyst for the Laguna Hills Merrill Lynch, plan to speak at "What Women Need to Know in a Down Economy," a free seminar from the Women's Institute for Financial Education. The seminar is this Saturday at the Newport Beach Merrill Lynch on McArthur Boulevard and will discuss the legal, financial and personal elements of divorce.

Newport Coast's most famous couple is headed for divorce, and the split looks like a potential windfall for the wife of Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Vanessa Bryant, who filed for divorce Friday, is likely to receive a windfall in the couple's final settlement, which is expected sometime next year. Attorney Dmitry Gorin said that generally speaking, Vanessa Bryant would be due half of Kobe Bryant's net worth during their marriage and joint custody of their daughters. The Bryants are reported to be worth at least $150 million.

NEWPORT COAST — The recent split between Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his wife of 10 years, Vanessa Bryant, had some local fans wondering whether the shooting guard would consider a move to another team or suffer performance issues on the court. The divorce was topic du jour for Paul Kincaid and Andy Loy, U.S. Beverage Manufacturing co-workers who were eating lunch at the Newport Coast Shopping Center on Tuesday. "It's just a matter of time after that mess in Colorado," Kincaid said, referring to the 2003 incident where Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel worker.

In a perfect world, families would include a mom, a dad and kids. They would love and support each other and communicate effectively. But at least half of the family world in America is far from perfect. This half results in divorce, which, despite any evidence you've read to the contrary, is devastating to children. Divorce happens for one reason and one reason only: Couples do not take enough time to really get to know the person with whom they plan to spend the rest of their lives.

Newport Beach family law expert Karen Rhyne will speak Saturday at a workshop called “What Women Need to Know about Divorce.” The event, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Merrill Lynch, 4695 MacArthur Court, Suite 1500, will help women prepare emotionally and financially for divorce. Speakers at the event also will include a financial advisor and a counselor. Rhyne earned her juris doctorate degree from Western State University School of Law. She has been a certified family law specialist since 1990.

The very first pronouncement concerning the human condition in the Bible is, "It is not good for a person to be alone." Marriage is then ordained as the goodly relationship designed to overcome the condition that is "not good." The ideal of marriage is a permanent union, but Judaism understood that sometimes marriages are unsuccessful and divorce is the best recourse. As the old adage has it, "Love is a sweet dream, and marriage is the alarm clock."

Newport Beach family law expert Karen Rhyne will speak Saturday at a free workshop called “What Women Need to Know about Divorce in a Down Economy.” The 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. event at Merrill Lynch, 4695 MacArthur Court, Suite 1500, will help women prepare emotionally and financially for divorce. Speakers at the event also will include a financial advisor and a counselor. Rhyne earned her juris doctorate degree from Western State University School of Law. She has been a certified family law specialist since 1990.

On the heels of stating my reluctance to identify letter writers by name, I am about to do just that. I hesitate to name names because of my unfair advantage; that is, I will always have the last word. Sometimes that's OK because the writer deserves either kudos or a smack down. Most of the time, however, letters to the editor of this paper are not personal, and, it seems to me, the number of really nasty ones has declined over the years. Civility is returning. Of course, there are exceptions.

Deepa Bharath NEWPORT COAST -- Former Angels pitcher Chuck Finley filed for divorce from actress wife Tawny Kitaen Finley days after she was arrested on charges of beating and scratching him after an altercation at an Irvine restaurant. Finley, 39, filed divorce papers April 4 -- three days after the altercation -- at the Orange County Superior Court in Orange, asking the court to dissolve their four-year marriage based on "irreconcilable differences."

I'm sorry. Sometimes I just don't care what's been said. Growing up, my two brothers and I got into our fair share of trouble — occasionally, when deserved, to be corrected by a well-placed persimmon switch or dad's belt. Word spread quickly over backyard fences from one mother to the next of our mischievous behavior. We were always amazed that our parents knew what we'd been up to before we managed to get home. With today's technologies, the entire world might know of our smallest oops or misstep in the time it takes to tweet or blog — making the communication network of yesterday's mothers pale by comparison.

NEWPORT COAST — The recent split between Lakers star Kobe Bryant and his wife of 10 years, Vanessa Bryant, had some local fans wondering whether the shooting guard would consider a move to another team or suffer performance issues on the court. The divorce was topic du jour for Paul Kincaid and Andy Loy, U.S. Beverage Manufacturing co-workers who were eating lunch at the Newport Coast Shopping Center on Tuesday. "It's just a matter of time after that mess in Colorado," Kincaid said, referring to the 2003 incident where Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a hotel worker.

Newport Coast's most famous couple is headed for divorce, and the split looks like a potential windfall for the wife of Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. Vanessa Bryant, who filed for divorce Friday, is likely to receive a windfall in the couple's final settlement, which is expected sometime next year. Attorney Dmitry Gorin said that generally speaking, Vanessa Bryant would be due half of Kobe Bryant's net worth during their marriage and joint custody of their daughters. The Bryants are reported to be worth at least $150 million.

ORANGE — Citing irreconcilable differences, the wife of Laker guard Kobe Bryant filed for divorce Friday, according to court papers. Kobe and Vanessa Bryant, of Newport Coast, said they have "resolved all the issues" related to their divorce in private. The Daily Pilot obtained copies of the paperwork at the Orange County Superior Court family courthouse in Orange. Vanessa Bryant signed her divorce petition Dec. 1. Kobe Bryant signed his response Dec. 7. The couple, who have two children, are routinely spotted around town.

To many newly single women, cleaning out the closet can be just as cathartic as sitting on a therapist's couch. The Divorcée Sale, which runs Friday through Sunday at the Resort at Pelican Hill, is a way for women to shed pieces of their past for a good cause. Jill Alexander, founder of The Divorcée Sale , wanted to find a way to combine her love for fashion and philanthropy with a point of transformation in many women's lives: divorce. "I've never even been married," Alexander said with a laugh.

Wives are more likely than husbands to enter into a divorce ill-informed about personal finances and unprepared for life after marriage, according to some divorce experts. Family law attorney Karen Rhyne of Michel & Rhyne in Newport Beach and Megan Stirrat, a certified divorce financial analyst for the Laguna Hills Merrill Lynch, plan to speak at "What Women Need to Know in a Down Economy," a free seminar from the Women's Institute for Financial Education. The seminar is this Saturday at the Newport Beach Merrill Lynch on McArthur Boulevard and will discuss the legal, financial and personal elements of divorce.

Newport Beach family law expert Karen Rhyne will speak Saturday at a free workshop called “What Women Need to Know about Divorce in a Down Economy.” The 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. event at Merrill Lynch, 4695 MacArthur Court, Suite 1500, will help women prepare emotionally and financially for divorce. Speakers at the event also will include a financial advisor and a counselor. Rhyne earned her juris doctorate degree from Western State University School of Law. She has been a certified family law specialist since 1990.

. CORRECTION: Story should have stated that O-MAMA website co-founder Michelle Tingler lives in San Clemente. Newport Beach resident Debbie Devine voted for John McCain. Michelle Tingler voted for Barack Obama. The two friends don?t always agree on the issues. But together, they hope to create a dialogue between women of all political stripes. Both busy mothers, Devine and Tingler are the founders of o-mama.com . That?s O-MAMA, as in ?Opinionated Mama.? The new website bills itself as a place for current news and events from a mom?

Newport Beach family law expert Karen Rhyne will speak Saturday at a workshop called “What Women Need to Know about Divorce.” The event, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Merrill Lynch, 4695 MacArthur Court, Suite 1500, will help women prepare emotionally and financially for divorce. Speakers at the event also will include a financial advisor and a counselor. Rhyne earned her juris doctorate degree from Western State University School of Law. She has been a certified family law specialist since 1990.