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Alimony Reform in Florida

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:40:55 +0000

The current state of alimony in Florida is in need of revisions. The laws no longer represent fair practices for the payer of alimony.

As a result, alimony payers will often find themselves trapped in very costly payments for the rest of their life, or other drastic situations. Therefore, two new bills have been proposed and are being pushed through the Florida government to revise out of date alimony laws.

Current Alimony Structure

Currently, in the state of Florida alimony is left to the sole discretion of the judge seeing the case. This means is that alimony has the potential to vary widely from case to case. Some variables include the duration of alimony payments, which in some cases is for life, tax treatments and consequences of alimony, the proportion of the person’s net income which alimony can be, cohabitation rules, and more. As a result, some men (and women) can pay alimony that is a major portion of their net income until the day they die, placing a significant financial and emotional strain on the person that may not always be proportional to the duration of the marriage.

Alimony Revisions

In 2011 two bills were introduced into Florida legislature to revise alimony laws and practices. These are similar to an alimony reform bill recently passed in the state of Massachusetts to prevent abuse of the system. The actual bills are House Bill 549 and Senate Bill 748. Unfortunately, misconceptions about the Florida reforms are resulting in some backlash from groups such as NOW (the National Organization for Women) and headlines in the Orlando Sentinel such as “In new alimony bill, wealthy, cheating men could pay less.” In this article Scott Maxwell attacks the bill, saying that it is “radical,” “unconstitutional,” and “anti-woman.”

The bill, however, is not aimed to do any of the aforementioned things. The bill’s sponsor, Ritch Workman, says he is working alongside the group Florida Alimony Reform to make the state of alimony in Florida fair. The bill seeks to end long-term alimony which prevents payers from retiring at a normal age due to their steep lifetime alimony payments.

Some of the provisions within the bill which will aim do this include, but are not limited to:

Allow existing alimony payers to modify their judgments through the new law.
Cap the alimony payment at a certain percentage of the net income of the payer.
Base the maximum duration of alimony around the length of the marriage.
Prohibit the use of a payer’s current spouse’s income or assets in a modification.
Termination of alimony upon full retirement age, barring extreme circumstances.

While some claim that the bills favor men, and it is true that traditionally more men pay alimony than women, the bill will be implemented equally across all alimony payers, men and women.

Other states such as West Virginia and California are considering revising their alimony laws, following suit of Florida and Massachusetts. Other resources for more information include Alimony Reform websites and websites of the Florida Government.

If you have questions about the reforms, how they can affect you, or anything else relating to alimony now or in the future Managing Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm are here to help. We aggressively represent husbands and fathers in family law cases, including alimony, and are poised to represent you. Contact our client relations manager today to schedule a consultation.

We Remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:27:11 +0000

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr changed our nation, spoke words others did not dare to speak, and called a nation to pause and consider its actions. Today, in honor of him, we reflect.

In the face of great adversity Martin Luther King Jr preached for equality and peace. He stood behind what was right, not what was simple, or what was accepted. He did not advocate for violence, or hatred, but for the rights which all Americans are granted through the constitution which governs us all.

Dr. King was born on January 15th 1929 in Atlanta. He graduated high school at age 15, and received his Ph.D. at age 26 from Boston University. He led the black boycott (1955-56) of segregated city bus lines and in 1956 gained a major victory and prestige as a civil-rights leader when Montgomery buses began to operate on a desegregated basis. His philosophy of nonviolent resistance led to his arrest on numerous occasions in the 1950s and 60s. His campaigns had mixed success, but the protest he led in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 brought him worldwide attention. He spearheaded the Aug., 1963, March on Washington, which brought together more than 200,000 people. In 1964 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On Apr. 4, 1968, he was shot and killed as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel (since 1991 a civil-rights museum).

The holiday honoring Dr. King’s birth and the achievements during his life was created in 1983, making it one of the most recent U.S. holidays. What many do not know, however, is that it is two holidays in one. There’s the overall King Day, set in ’83 when President Reagan signed a bill putting it in federal law. And there’s the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, established when President Clinton signed the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994. King Service Day is meant to be a day of personal action in Dr. King’s memory on or near his holiday – as its boosters say, a day on, not a day off. It’s promoted by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that also runs AmeriCorps and similar initiatives.

Most recently, on August 28th 2011, a memorial was erected and dedicated on the Mall in Washington DC in honor of Dr. King and his long-standing achievements and contributions to our country.

So, if you are at work, or enjoying a day off today, take time to reflect upon the meaning of this holiday. What, and who, it stands for. Take the time to listen to Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech at the foot of the Lincoln memorial now nearly five decades ago. Reflect upon your fellow man and the injustices which still exist in this world and question how you can not simply do what is easy, but what is right. Consider how you can contribute to your community and make a difference that will let Dr. King’s famous words, “I have a Dream” continue to ring on.

Discounts for Active Military

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:12:09 +0000

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm is proud to support our troops by offering discounts for Active Military.

We recognize the commitment and sacrifices enlisted men and women make to and for our country every day. These are not to be taken lightly. Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm harbor a deep respect for this dedication and would like to give back to our troops by ensuring price does not prevent them from possessing experienced legal representation.

People with active military I.D.’s will now receive discounts throughout the length of their case. If it is a divorce, child support, alimony, or other family law military case the Men’s Divorce Law Firm has the skills to aggressively represent our troops.

If you or someone you know is enlisted and in need of assistance with a family law matter contact the Men’s Divorce Law Firm today to see how we can help.

Does Fatherhood Make Men Healthier?

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:50:23 +0000

In light of a few recent studies the media is abuzz with the notion that Fatherhood makes mean healthier. Are there really intrinsic health benefits for a man when he has a child?

One recent study reveals that fathers are less likely than childless men to die of cardiovascular disease. Led by a Stanford University urologist and tracking nearly 140,000 men, it’s the latest of many scientific studies suggesting that fatherhood improves men’s health.

Another new study, published two weeks ago found that fatherhood lowered testosterone levels in its male participants. This triggered headlines such as “The Testosterone Tradeoff: Hormone Decrease Makes Better Fathers,” “Testosterone Drop Helps Men Do Dad-Duty,” and, provocatively, “Does Being a Father Make You Less of a Man?”

The five-year study tracked 624 Filipino men, among whom “fathers reporting three hours or more of daily childcare had lower testosterone at follow-up compared with fathers not involved in care.”

So does producing a child equate to a healthier, longer life?

“One of my strengths is my bullshit detector,” says Harvard Medical School assistant professor Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, author of Testosterone for Life, and The Male Body, both men’s health books. Reading media reports about the cardiovascular disease study, which appeared Monday in an Oxford University Press medical journal, Morgentaler’s response was thus: “I laughed.”

“Yes, the study found that fatherhood reduced the risk of heart attacks, but you have to read all the way to the end to learn that the overall death rate between fathers and non-fathers was the same. So it doesn’t mean fathers live longer, just that fewer of them die of heart attacks. So we jump to the conclusion that fatherhood is good for you because these men had fewer heart attacks. But what does it matter if men die of heart attacks or of something else?”

“The storyline given out about this study perpetuates pernicious myths about men’s sexuality. We’re stuck in this idea that men are testosterone-addled maniacs, that high testosterone fuels crazy sexual behavior” and low testosterone turns Conan the Barbarian cuddly.

“The idea that a man’s behavior is directly related to whether his testosterone is a little higher or lower is simply false. Lower testosterone does not turn men into wimps. We are not simply products of our testosterone. Having higher testosterone doesn’t mean a man’s more likely to cheat on his partner or be a bad father.”

Nor does lower testosterone make him a good one—low testosterone has been linked to depression, anxiety, insomnia, and high diabetes rates.

“It’s a basic mistake to assume that because low testosterone and fatherhood are connected, one is causing the other,” says Morgentaler. “It’s an even worse error to assume that this is adaptive—and that it’s either good or bad.”

Then does fatherhood affect a man’s biology at all? It’s obvious that it does not affect it in the same way a that a woman’s body will be. A man’s body cannot discern if any of its billions of spermatozoa have resulted in a successful pregnancy. His aorta and amygdala do not receive this information by automatic transfer. So what may be easier to understand is that it is not the biological or physical fact of paternity that matters.

What makes more sense is that it is the presence of children that changes men’s lives, and in turn, changes their bodies. It’s the care-giving, the bonding, the sleep deprivation, the lack of sex, the worrying, the joy. It’s the rough-housing on the living room floor, the games of freeze tag on the lawn, and the nightly dinners that, suddenly, always contain a green vegetable. A stepfather or adoptive father should reap exactly the same health benefits as a biological dad.

“It all has to do with relationships,” says Columbia University associate professor Aaron E. Katz, author of The Definitive Guide to Prostate Cancer. “Parenthood makes men healthier if they want to keep active and eat right and really be with their kids—not just take them to baseball games but physically play baseball with them.”

“You want to stay alive and see your grandkids,” says Katz. “That’s a driving force.”

Northwestern University Assistant Professor Craig F. Garfield, a pediatrician who analyzed the 2010 study of Midwestern urbanites in a Journal of the American Medical Association article, agrees.

“What surprised me was how much these fathers really tried to clean up their act. For example, many of them described cutting down on risky behaviors such as smoking, partying, and hanging out in risky situations. These fathers tried to eat better and they tried to exercise more. They really saw themselves as important role models for their children, regardless of whether their child was a boy or a girl. …They described wanting to ‘be there’ for their child as the child got older, and part of that meant that the dad needed to take care of himself today—eat right, exercise, stay out of trouble—so he could be there as the child grows. That can be a powerful motivator for men.”

Becoming a dad makes you a role model, so many men, once thrust into such a position, act accordingly. Conversely, if men know that little eyes aren’t watching them, little ears aren’t hearing them, and little hands clutching little bats aren’t awaiting their fastballs, they might feel freer to do drugs, drive recklessly, and eat bacon till they’re up to their eyeballs in cholesterol—at least, according to the Swedish study.

So while there may not be a conclusive study that having a child triggers some positive chemical reactions in a man’s DNA it can be inferred that the pressures, and the rewards, of fatherhood often lead men to be better people which can in turn make them healthier and help lead longer lives.

The Men’s Warehouse Fourth Annual Suit Drive

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:15:06 +0000

The goal is 100,000 clothing items by August 31st, mark your calendar to help the Men’s Warehouse reach it! By donating your gently used clothing not only can you score some great deals from the store but you will also play a big role in helping give someone a second-chance.

From their website:

Share the power of the suit. Now in its fourth year, the National Suit Drive helps unemployed men prepare for a more successful future. Donate your gently used professional attire to help men in crisis make a good first impression at job interviews. Learn more about the National Suit Drive.

Step 1: Donate Your Clothes

Donating is easy. Start by going through your closet and selecting professional items with minimal wear that are still in fashion. Find your nearest Men’s Wearhouse store and drop off your donation by August 31, 2011.

Clothing donations collected in our stores are directed to local non-profit organizations. For every suit collected, we will donate a new tie to the cause.

Any of the following gently used professional attire will be accepted:

Suits
Sport Coats
Dress Slacks
Dress Shirts
Dress Shoes
Sportswear
Outerwear
Ties and other accessories

Step 2: Collect Your Thank You Gift

We greatly appreciate your generosity. As a thank you for your donation, you’ll receive a special coupon for 50% off the regular price of all items, excluding shoes. (See store for details.) We will also provide you with a tax receipt from a nonprofit organization.

Step 3: Tell Your Friends

With Facebook and Twitter it’s easy to spread the word about National Suit Drive. The five seconds it takes to share can make a difference in so many lives. Let others know about the good things you’ve been up to. Like us or check in at Men’s Wearhouse on Facebook and we’ll donate $1 to the cause (up to $10,000).*

*The money donated will be distributed amongst the non-profit organizations.

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm lead by local Orlando Lawyer Jeffrey Feulner works every day to fight for the rights of husbands and fathers everywhere. We are proud to support the local community and outreach programs such as this.

President Barack Obama on Fatherhood

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 19:28:25 +0000

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, recently sat down with People Magazine and wrote about his feelings on fatherhood. While it’s possible to forget when someone is such a figurehead, even the most singularly powerful man in the U.S. is a father and a son.

His words illuminate struggles all fathers and children have such as managing work and family, being a good father, and growing up without a father figure in his life:

I grew up without a father around. I have certain memories of him taking me to my first jazz concert and giving me my first basketball as a Christmas present. But he left when I was two years old.

And even though my sister and I were lucky enough to be raised by a wonderful mother and caring grandparents, I always felt his absence and wondered what it would have been like if he had been a greater presence in my life. I still do. It is perhaps for this reason that fatherhood is so important to me, and why I’ve tried so hard to be there for my own children.

That’s not to say I’ve always been a perfect dad. I haven’t. When Malia and Sasha were younger, work kept me away from home more than it should have. At times, the burden of raising our two daughters has fallen too heavily on Michelle. During the campaign, not a day went by that I didn’t wish I could spend more time with the family I love more than anything else in the world.

But through my own experiences, and my continued efforts to be a better father, I have learned something over the years about what children need most from their parents.

They need our time, measured not only in the number of hours we spend with them each day, but what we do with those hours. I’ve learned that children don’t just need us physically present, but emotionally available – willing to listen and pay attention and participate in their daily lives. Children need structure, which includes learning the values of self-discipline and responsibility.

Malia and Sasha may live in the White House, but Michelle and I still make sure they do their chores, make their beds, finish their schoolwork and take care of the dog. And above all I’ve learned that children need our unconditional love-when they succeed and when they make mistakes; when life is easy and life is hard.

Without a doubt, it is easier to raise children in this kind of caring, attentive atmosphere when both parents are present. Of course, there are plenty of single parents who do a heroic job of raising their kids. I know this because I was fortunate enough to have one-a mother who never allowed my father’s absence to be an excuse for slacking off or not doing my best. But more and more kids are growing up today without their dads. And those young folks are more likely to struggle in school, try drugs, get into trouble and even wind up in jail.

Help Kids Reach Their Potential

There are too many young people out there who aren’t reaching their potential because they don’t have a father figure to guide them. And yet, the truth is, it’s harder to be a father today, even for those dads who are present in their children’s lives.

We are still feeling the aftershocks of a recession that took an especially difficult toll on men. And if you’re struggling to pay the bills, a focus on simply getting by can understandably take precedence over everything else.

We can all do right by our kids.

I have worked hard to get dads help in simple but meaningful ways-by supporting community programs that work with troubled fathers; getting businesses to offer things like discounted movie or sports tickets for fathers to spend more time with their kids; and by making sure dads in the military can keep in contact with their children from overseas.

And every father can encourage his child to turn off the video games and pick up a book; to study hard and stay in school. Every father can pack a healthy lunch for his son, or go outside and play ball with his daughter.

No matter how difficult life gets, we can show our kids through our own example the value in treating each other as we wish to be treated. These things we can all do. Our kids understand that life won’t always be perfect, that times get tough and that even great parents don’t get everything right. More than anything, they just want us to be there-to be present, to care about their lives.

Coaching Moments

This year, in addition to being President, I took on a second job. I was an assistant coach for Sasha’s basketball team. Every Sunday we would bring Sasha and her teammates together for clinics and drills. It was a lot of fun.

There were even a couple of times when I’d fill in for the regular coaches at the games. I’ll admit that this was a little nerve-racking, and I’m sure this was true for Sasha as well, who may have winced when her dad would voice his displeasure with a particular call made by the referee. But I was so proud, watching her run up and down the court, seeing her learn and improve and gain confidence. And I was hopeful that in the years to come, she would look back on experiences like these as the ones that helped define her as a person – and as a parent herself.

In the end that’s what being a parent is all about: those precious moments, the times we spend with our children that fill us with pride and excitement for their future; the chances we have to set an example or offer a piece of advice or just be there to show that we love them. And that’s a lesson worth remembering everyday. “

- President Barack Obama

There is a lot of advice out there on how to be a father. If you learn from your personal role-models, websites, or public figures always remember that ultimately you can only do your best. So long as you work with the best intentions of your family in mind and love unconditionally the rest will come naturally.

If things in your family life are tense due to Family Law forces beyond your control contact Orlando lawyer Jeffrey Feulner at the Men’s Divorce Law Firm today so that we can help with the legal matters and you can focus on being a father.

4 Reasons Why Marriage IS a Dying Institution

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:33:53 +0000

Actress Cameron Diaz, 38, was quoted declaring marriage a “dying institution.”Ms. Diaz added, “I don’t think we should live our lives in relationships based off old traditions that don’t suit our world any longer.” Apparently, Dr. Keith Ablow couldn’t agree more.

Dr. Ablow, who has written a number of other books and projects, has recently released four reasons why he feels marriage is a dying institution:

“Well, I’m not certain marriage ever did suit most people who tried it. From what I hear in my psychiatry office, and from what I hear from other psychiatrists and psychologists, and from what my friends and relatives tell me and show me through their behavior, and from the fact that most marriages end either in divorce or acrimony, marriage is (as it has been for decades now) a source of real suffering for the vast majority of married people.

To go further, I would venture that 90 percent of the married patients I speak with would rank their marriages in the top two stressors in their lives, while only 10 percent would rank their marriages as one of the top two sources of strength in their lives.

As a healer, I can’t help looking askance at anything that depletes energy, optimism, mood and passion to the extent that marriage does. It is, without a doubt, one of the leading causes of major depression in the nation.

In my opinion there are four important social, cultural and psychological reasons marriage causes so much pain.

First, the involvement of the state in marriage has been a colossal mistake. The granting of marriage licenses by government debases an institution which is actually the proper domain of churches, temples and other entities focused on God and Spirit. Government involvement means that love and commitment become sterile, linked to legislation and weighted down with legal implications that are psychologically suffocating. Smart, aware people feel consciously or unconsciously disempowered from the moment they say, “I do.”

I wanted to marry my wife, not the governor of Massachusetts or a Superior Court Judge.

The government, in fact, should have no role in marriage, whatsoever. There should be no income tax distinction between married and single people. Each person should file as an individual. That would simplify the debate about same sex marriage (or marriage between three people—which I guarantee you is in the offing), because the state would be out of the marriage business entirely. Laws should exist, instead, that simply commit parents to financially support their biological children. Beyond that, it should be left to the individuals involved (husbands and wives) to go see their priests or ministers or rabbis about getting married and to then go see lawyers to write any financial contracts between them that they wish to.

Getting government out of our marriages would do a lot to make them feel less confining.

A second reason marriage is a dying institution is the invention of oral contraception. Once human beings understood that they could express themselves emotionally, romantically and sexually without necessarily creating multiple families and perilously dividing their assets, the psychological pain of living without sexual passion (even by choice) was significantly intensified. And, make no mistake about it, marriage that includes cohabitation is a really tough environment in which to preserve such passion. The vast, vast majority of men and women, in fact, are no longer physically attracted to their spouses after five or ten years (that’s being kind), if they have seen one another most of that time. Human beings just are not built to desire one another once we have flossed in the same room a hundred times and shared a laundry basket for thousands of days.

Very few normal people who live together for long enough want to keep on doing it. Roommates tire of each other. Sons and daughters grow up and move out. Siblings end up at each other’s throats.

To give marriage a chance at long-lived passion, couples now need to build in space from one another and time apart.

They need to work very hard to stay interesting to one another, not just stay around one another. Too few couples are determined to do this, and it is very, very difficult, in any case.

The third reason marriage is a dying institution is because it inherently deprives men and women of the joy of being “chosen” on a daily basis. It’s natural to like the feeling of being wanted (most people thirst for it), and the fact that leaving a marriage involves “lawyering up” and suffering greatly means that most husbands and wives have to wonder whether their spouses really want to stay, or simply don’t want to go through the hassle of leaving. If it were a relatively simple process to decide to live apart (and honor a financial contract for the support of children), then we might actually exert more effort to be attractive to our spouses for longer. We might appreciate the fact that they’re still around.

Fourth, our collective experience with marriages failing in such great numbers is itself one of the reasons the institution is dying. No one likes being part of a group of hypocrites. The fact that millions of Americans take vows to stay in marriages for life, then leave those marriages—once, twice, maybe three times—has so trivialized and mocked those vows that many silently chuckle to themselves while listening to them. Once enough divorced parents have wept with joy at the placing of rings on the fingers of their daughters or daughters-in-law, the backbone of marriage as an institution must snap.

It’s only a matter of time now. Marriage will fade away. We should be thinking about what might replace it. We should come up with something that improves the quality of our lives and those of our children. And we should keep government out of it, if we know what’s good for us.”

The Men’s Divorce Law Firm leaves the decision if marriage is a dying institution or not up to you. However, if you feel your marriage has ended then contact Orlando Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and his team today for a consultation.

2 Years Ago…

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Wed, 18 May 2011 19:51:58 +0000

Attorney Jean Moses and Client Relations Manager Natalie Ramirez joined the Men’s Divorce Law Firm on the same day.

Is Marriage an Old-Fashioned Tradition?

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Thu, 05 May 2011 16:35:12 +0000

“I think we have to make our own rules,” Diaz explains. “I don’t think we should live our lives in relationships based off old traditions that don’t suit our world any longer.”

38-year-old Cameron Diaz recently shares with Elle Magazine, ”I think a lot of people are married to people that they’re not romantic with any more. I just didn’t ever marry anybody that I then had to get divorced from. We break up. We move on.” Click here to view the theaterical trailer of Diaz’s new movie, Bad Teacher, in which she co-stars with ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake.

Eva Mendes has also shared her thoughts on why marriage is not as necessary as society makes it and dismissed it as a ‘very old tradition’. The bombshell actress, who’s been dating filmmaker George Augusto for almost a decade, insists that she will never walk down the aisle – because married life is ‘boring’.

“I just don’t think marriage is necessary, as necessary as society makes it. And I don’t have a negative point of view on it. I just think it’s a very old tradition and if you look back to what marriage symbolizes in the first place… it has nothing to do with why we get married today,” the Daily Express quoted her as saying.

Other celebrities have publicly announced their views on marriage in today’s society. They speak out on how marriage today clings to outdated notions, especially as it applies to the definition of the picturesque married couple.

Stars like Jason Mraz, Brangelina, Natalie Portman and Ricky Martin have nothing against the idea of creating a legal and long lasting union, but have refused to walk down that aisle until Congress, or at least state legislatures, say that gay couples can marry too.

Charlize Theron gave the same rational every time someone asked her why she and ex-boyfriend, Stuart Townsend, weren’t getting married. “I don’t want to get married because right now the institution of marriage feels very one-sided, and I want to live in a country where we all have equal rights,” she told PopEater. “I have so many friends who are gays and lesbians who would so badly want to get married, that I wouldn’t be able to sleep with myself.”

Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm believe that the choice to wed or not to wed lies with the individual. It is important to put forth your own unique circumstances rather than allow outside influences to dictate your lifestyle and personal choices. Everyone has options and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm is here to assist you with any and all legal needs you may be faced with. Even though some couples cannot or choose not to wed, domestic partnership agreements can be drawn up to protect you and your partner’s future. Call us today to discuss your needs further.

Sheen Attempts to Get Emergency Custody When Brooke Refuses Drug Test and Enters Rehab

Men's Divorce Law Blog Administrator — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:23:22 +0000

Did Brooke Mueller really attempt to sell items at an Inglewood pawn shop? Did she really refuse to take her court ordered drug test last week? What did the judge tell Sheen when he attempted to get custody of his twins?

USA Today reports on Charlie Sheen’s latest court appearance to address the custody of his two children, Bob and Max Sheen. Sheen was racing coast-to-coast yesterday, but what exactly happened during Sheen’s day in court yesterday? Although Sheen’s custody hearing was sealed and Judge Goldberg decided to hold the hearing behind closed doors, saying it would be in the “best interest of the children,” details have emerged revealing that L.A. Superior Court Judge Goldberg denied Sheen’s request.

The judge was aware that Mueller had recently relapsed into drug use. The Baltimore Sun reports that even though the twins’ mother was ordered to take periodic drug tests, she refused last Friday and is said to be back in outpatient rehab.

To make matters worse, Mueller was recently seen at a pawn shop attempting to sell off a watch and stereo but was denied because she didn’t have a valid id, says pawn shop employee, Jack Feldman. To view the surveillance video, click here. Why Brooke is in the desperate need of cash is a mystery. Charlie Sheen pays her $55,000 a month in child support. Click here to read more.

Sheen and his attorney planned to argue that Mueller’s latest drug relapse proves that she is currently unfit to care for their kids. Mueller’s mother, Marie Fiore, is said to be caring for the children, however, TMZ reports that Sheen’s ex-wife, Denise Richards, has offered to let them live with her, informally, until things stabilize.

Judge Goldberg was equally disturbed by Charlie’s past substance abuse and the fact that he bragged about it, sources told TMZ. The judge decided the couple will continue to share custody under the existing agreement. Click here to read the full article.

Jimmy Kimmel weighed in on the issue last night: “I never thought I’d say this, but I think those kids would be better off living with the Octomom.” Click here to view the last appearance of Sheen on the Jimmy Kimmel Show where he planted a big kiss on an unexpected Kimmel.

A few details also emerged from Sheen’s Warner Bros./Chuck Lorre lawsuit hearing yesterday (which Sheen did not attend). E! reports that lawyers argued Sheen should be able to make his case at a public trial, not private arbitration. But John Spiegel, lawyer for the studio, argued Sheen hadn’t put that in his 2003 contract.

Spiegel said in court that there were “long and protracted” contract talks. Sheen “had a long list of things he wanted.”

Among the things that Sheen wanted and got, according to Spiegel, were $2 million an episode for a guaranteed 48 episodes; a narrowing of his morality clause; use of the corporate jet; a private hair stylist; and a pass from the first day of rehearsals.

The judge has 30 days to make a ruling on whether the case will be hashed out behind closed doors or not.

Attorney Jeffrey Feulner and the Men’s Divorce Law Firm are disappointed in the recent allegations and events occurring in this long custody battle case. We believe that the best interest of the children should always come first and the parents should make it a priority to protect them from the public eye.