Posted on Feb 17, 2013

Known for their flair for the dramatic, various casts from the Real Housewives franchise have made their divorces pretty public. That’s why we were surprised to hear that Vicki Gunvalson from The Real Housewives of Orange County was trying mediation to settle her divorce. Mediation is a way to save money in an amicable divorce where both parties can come to an agreement on division of assets.

Vicki and her husband Donn were married for just over 15 years and obviously have quite a few assets to divide. They did not, however, have any children together. In Season 7 of The Real Housewives, Vicki was very upset because Donn was seeking spousal support from her. Season 8 is currently filming, so there is a very good chance we may be able to see some footage from their divorce mediation sessions.

The couple separated almost three years ago because of accusations that Donn had been cheating on Vicki throughout their entire marriage. There were also allegations that Vicki was having an emotional affair with her current boyfriend, Brooks Ayers. Through that all, it seems the divorce is taking so long due to the fact that the long-time couple still, understandably, loves each other.

Although the couple obviously had a lot of issues leading up to this point, it’s great that they are trying to mediate the divorce and come to a settlement agreement together. This is a much better choice than viciously fighting the divorce in court and litigating the case to trial.

Divorce mediation in Virginia is just as useful as in California in avoiding the cost and formality of the courtroom—and the odds are that you do not have entertainment reporters examining your every move. If you are interested in resolving your divorce in a low-key, cooperative manner with your spouse, divorce mediation may be exactly the solution for you. For more information, contact Smith Strong at 804-325-1245 (Richmond) or 757-941-4298 (Williamsburg) for a no-obligation consultation.

H. Van Smith
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