Child support and spousal maintenance are contentious matters in many divorces in Washington. However, in one celebrity divorce, that of music superstar Stevie Wonder, those often emotional issues are a non-issue. In fact, the star has told the court in his recent divorce filing that he is willing to pay these payments if they are awarded.
Stevie Wonder and his wife have been married for 11 years. They separated in 2009 and have reportedly been trying to work together to see if they could make their marriage work. Their efforts proved unsuccessful and the singer filed for divorce recently in a state court.
As is common in divorce cases in Washington, the father of two young sons asked the court to award him joint custody of the children. The sons are 7 and 10 years of age. If the court grants the request for joint custody, the children may live with each of the parents separately for a designated period of time each month.
In the Stevie Wonder case it appears that the spouses have spent time working out at least some of the details of their divorce. Like all couples going through the divorce process, there were many issues to be negotiated with spousal maintenance and child support just being two of them. It may be the case that this couple decided that negotiating a compromise in private would be better than facing a media circus around their every decision. This case may serve as an example for non-famous couples that collaboration and cooperation can help guide the divorce process smoothly.