Long divorces are quite rare. But when they happen, they garner quite a bit of media attention. Kim Kardashian’s divorce proceedings with Kris Humphries have lasted six times as long as their 72 day marriage. (Later this month, they will actually determine a trial date).
Then there is the complicated case of Lili and William Wilson. The Delray Beach couple has been embroiled in legal proceedings since 2008 and has fought over countless items in their divorce. They have filed motions to litigate disputes over alimony payments, the sale of the marital estate, baseball card collections and family videos, to name a few.
The couple recently made headlines when William Wilson petitioned the court to have the ashes of the couple’s deceased son equally partitioned for each party. Scott Wilson was killed in a 2010 auto accident. Since being cremated, his ashes have been stored in a Palm Beach mortuary.
Of course, the court was not inclined to split the child’s remains and ordered the couple work on a solution. It did not rule on the motion.
Such petty bitterness is very uncommon, but it underscores two very important points. First, when people have a great deal of money to put behind their causes, sometimes compromise gets lost, and legal disputes can be prolonged for years. (The Wilsons are millionaires as a result of a wrongful death settlement.) Second, as legal proceedings continue, the chances the case will settle amicably will diminish. The continuous conflict prevents people from moving on with their lives.
The Wilson divorce should be a cautionary tale to those who claim that they “will stop at nothing” to get what they want.
Source: South Florida Sun Sentinel .com, Parents of Goodman victim spar over ashes, baseball cards, February 1, 2013
