Jacqueline Newman - New York City Divorce Lawyer

Losing the battle and winning the war is great in concept, but most of us have at one point in our lives yielded to the alternative principle: getting tripped up on the petty.

I asked one of Manhattan’s top litigators, Jacqueline Newman, Esq. of Berkman, Bottger, Newman & Schein, LLP, to help me comprise a list of the craziest things we’ve seen or heard of couples fighting over in a divorce case. Here’s the top five:

1. The right to minced veggies. In a case where there were literally millions of dollars at stake, it all came down to the Cuisinart blender — an appliance worth several hundred dollars. One spouse, who incidentally could afford to buy a new such blender each month for life if s/he so chose, swore to not settle until the Cuisinart was won. Upon winning, s/he immediately threw out the thing.
2. Even the scaly ones. They’re part of the family but still classified as legal property so it makes sense that we’ve seen countless negotiations over the custody, visitation and decision-making of and for dogs and cats… as well as some fights over the less obvious: bunnies, turtles and fish.
3. E-mail accounts. Weeks of stalemate resulted over an ex refusing to change a personal email account while the other demanded s/he register for a new one… that didn’t combine their names.
4. Plastic bags. Yep, the disposable ones — as in what you get after shopping at a drug store or super market and roll up under the sink for later use. Useful, sure, but enough so to inspire a screaming fight on moving day? Apparently, yes.
5. Wedding Photos. Enough said.