Disclaimer: This article does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about your individual situation it is best to seek the advice of an experienced legal professional.
Dr. Dre and Nicole Young recently announced they were getting a divorce after 24 years,without prenup, causing much speculation about what would happen to their assets. Then it turned out they did have a prenup, and then things got even more complicated. Nicole Young claimed that Dr. Dre had forced her to sign a prenup under duress, and that after they were married he “tore up the prenup” as an act of love. In a memorable headline, Vanity Fair claimed this was “like saying the dog ate my homework.” Now Nicole Young is asking for a separate trial to deal with her prenup.
Prenups are Not Just for the Rich
There is, of course, a lot of money at stake in Dr. Dre and Nicole Young’s divorce. But prenups are growing more popular even among non-celebrity couples. Millennials are increasingly entering into marriages later and in a more cautious way, often drafting a prenup to outline what would happen to their assets if they divorce. While planning ahead is obviously a good idea, the divorce of Dr. Dre and Nicole Young shows what can go wrong if you assume that it’s “done”, or change your mind and tear up the prenup without making a formal agreement. Worse still, your partner might not be fully on board when you sign the prenup or might feel pressured into signing a prenup by you or your in-laws. People may try to bury these resentments at the time but they almost always bubble up later. That is why it is better to mediate your prenup rather than sign on the dotted line and consider it done. If you need to change a prenup that is already drafted, you should make a formal agreement to do so rather than just throwing it in the trash.
Mediation is a process directed by both parties and facilitated by the mediator. Among the benefits of mediation is empowering parties to feel ownership over their decisions rather than merely being passive participants in a process that is going on over their heads. We are San Diego CA mediators who bring psychoanalytical as well as legal expertise to the table, so prenups and post-nups are always mediated in a mindful way that helps you discover your true interests rather than going along for the ride and regretting it later.
Mediating your Prenup in a Community Property State
It’s especially important to mediate your prenup, post-nuptial or marital agreement in a community property state like California. California divorce splits marital assets equally. Any deviation from what the parties in divorce predict can mean big losses or gains. At Boileau Conflict Solutions we work with California couples in the media, entertainment and international couples or those who have international ties. These divorces can be more complicated, but there is no reason for them to be adversarial.
Winding down many years of a shared life together is hard enough for a high net worth entertainment industry couple like Nicole Young and Dr. Dre without the added complication of a disputed prenup. Fortunately, as a California couple starting out, you have the choice to save yourself a great deal of future stress. You can just “go along” with your prenup, or you can mediate it to ensure that both parties are truly on the same page. If you are facing a dispute over a prenup years’ later, there is still time: you can mediate with your divorcing spouse rather than pursue litigation and face unnecessary cost and conflict.
Who We Are and How We Can Help
The mediators at Boileau Conflict Solutions are caring, well-educated mediators who are skilled in applied financial mathematics, the law psychoanalysis, and game theory. We are familiar with the challenges facing families and parents in the West Coast area in cities like San Diego, CA and Santa Clara, CA. We strive to efficiently comprehend your situation and its opportunities for sustainable and agreeable resolution. This may include a review of your parenting plan, spousal support calculations, community property equalization, settlement agreement, and all other aspects of your case. We can either confidentially present you with a private analysis, or mediate the conflict with both of you until resolved. Any resolution you come to will be informed by a deeper analysis of the conflict that can be psychoanalytic and/or more financially-focused. Conflict analysis can result in a more optimized understanding of the net community property, which adds value to the overall estate, benefiting you both. The sooner you can resolve your conflict, the sooner you can begin to craft a sustainable future for you and your children. We work with individuals from several cultures and countries, and can help with national and international relocation issues associated with divorce. Our safe, socially distanced mediations can be facilitated by Telephone, Zoom, Facetime and other videoconferencing tools. We are available 7 days a week and at urgent notice. Please contact us to see how we can help.
Read More: