Meriwether & Tharp, LLC
6788799000 Meriwether & Tharp, LLC 1545 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 300 Varied
If you have divorce questions

Celebrity Family Law – Renee Zellweger

In Georgia, "[p]arties may obtain discovery regarding any matter, not privileged, which is relevant to the subject matter of the pending action." O.C.G.A. § 9-11-26(b)(1). For family law matters, this means that nearly everything is discoverable. Issues of child support, alimony and equitable division make all financial information related to the parties relevant to the case. In addition, child custody can make medical, psychological, employment, familial and other personal information relevant to a pending family law action. However, though the scope of discovery in a family law action is broad, it is not without limits.

Actress Renee Zellweger has just been pulled into a child support battle between her boyfriend, Doyle Bramhall, and his ex-wife, Susannah Melvoin. Renee Zellweger Roped Into BF's War With Ex…My Money's Mine, by TMZ Staff, tmz.com, December 9, 2016. In the case, Melvoin sought to have information and Zellweger's income, living expenses and business deals admitted in the case to prove that Bramhall is living a lavish lifestyle with Zellweger. Zellweger objected and the Judge agreed, declining to force her to testify about anything other than a few gifts she'd purchased for Bramhall.

This is a great example of the limits on discovery in a family law case. Certainly, in a child support case, parents' financial information will be discoverable and admissible because it is directly relevant to determining the proper amount of child support to be paid. However, as this case shows, a Judge is not likely to admit personal, financial information of people with whom a parent chooses to spend their time. It would be different if Zellweger and Bramhall were married and shared assets and expenses. But, as it stands here, they are not financially intertwined and, thus, her financial information is not relevant or admissible in this case.

Back to Blog