DIVORCE CORP.

By
Joseph Sorge, with James Scurlock

Foreword – by Dr. Drew

Preface

Prologue: Five Perspectives

• The Whistleblower
• The Insider
• The Bereft
• The Peacemaker
• The House of Frankenstein

Part I: Birth of an Industry

Chapter 1: The Legal Landscape

• Cost/Benefit
• Blank Checks
• Zealous Advocacy – To a Fault
• Immunity
• The Rise of the Pro Pers
• Off the Record

Chapter 2: Patriarchy

• A Brief History of Divorce (and Monogamy)
• The Celebrity Divorce
• Wrestling The Hulk
• The Era of Entitlement

Chapter 3: Alimony Without End

• One Way Costs
• The Justification
• The Gender Enigma
• The Puppeteer
• Investing in Divorce
• Smoke and Mirrors—Massachusetts
• The Second Wives’ Club
• Heads They Win, Tails You Lose
• Through the Looking Glass

Chapter 4: Children

• The Custodial Parent
• Children for Money
• Child Support

Part II: Follow The Money

Chapter 5: Checks Without Balances

• Guardian Bagmen
• Friends of the Court

Chapter 6: Utopia

• A Different Kind of Woman
• A Postage Stamp
• Little Bags of Love

Chapter 7: The Best Interests of the Child

• The Gadfly
• He (or She) Who Casts the First Accusation Wins
• Winners & Losers
• Deadbeat Moms & Athletes

Chapter 8: Courts of Equity

• The Do-Over
• Challenging Bias
• The Palace of Perjury
• Juries and Other Safeguards
• A Modest Prescription

Chapter 9: Who Me? Biased?

• The Brain Vault
• Relationships with Lawyers
• Extracurricular Activities
• The Second System
• Immunity for Judges

Chapter 10: Enemies of the State

• A Slap on the (Judge’s) Wrist
• Freedom of Speech
• Carrots and Sticks
• The Eat Their Own Too

Chapter 11: Parental Disparagement

• Parental Alienation
• The Rehabilitative Psychologist

Part III: Unintended Consequences

Chapter 12: Domestic Violence

• Breaking the Glass Ceiling
• Tilted Scales
• Double Standard

Chapter 13: Cracks in the Pillars

• A Grandmother’s Fight
• The Audit
• The Exile

Chapter 14: The Swamp

• The Ecosystem
• Drowning the Middle Class
• Give Us More Money
• More Money, More Problems
• With a Little Help From Their Friends

Chapter 15: Solutions

• The Support Group
• Collaborative Law
• The Good Divorce
• Eliminate the Blame
• Meaningful Reform
• Rebuttal to the Rebuttal

Acknowledgments