After being separated for more than a year, Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs have finalized their divorce. The couple met during the Broadway production of Rent in 1996, married in 2003, and have a five-year-old son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs.
Menzel and Diggs are said to have divorced on amicable terms, with much of their marital difficulty being attributed to their hectic work schedules. Diggs is currently starring in the serial crime drama Murder in the First and is the co-artistic director of the dance company dre.dance alongside fellow Broadway veteran Andrew Palermo. Menzel rose to fame for her Frozen hit "Let It Go" and is currently playing Elizabeth Vaughan in the Broadway musical If/Then.
Throughout their divorce, Menzel and Diggs have stressed that their son's well being remains their top priority. The exact details of their custody arrangement aren't being released, but it appears that both parents will continue to be actively involved in Walker's life.
Generally, courts favor joint custody as the best arrangement for helping to ensure that a child is able to maintain a healthy relationship with both parents. Joint physical custody arrangements vary depending upon the work schedules and housing requirements of the family. However, common arrangements may include spending alternating months or six month periods with each parent or spending weekends and holidays with one parent while spending weekdays with the other. Children generally have fully equipped bedrooms in each parent's home, so as to avoid the feeling that they are living out of a suitcase.
Physical custody is often accompanied by joint legal custody, which simply refers to the right of both parents to make decisions regarding the child's education, medical care, and religious instruction. However, if joint physical custody is not an option, a judge may still award joint legal custody and liberal visitation.
How Can We Help?
If you are in need of legal representation or have questions about child custody issues during a divorce, please call the Schweitzer Law Partners at (626) 683-8113 or email us at info@PasadenaLawOffice.com. Our experienced Pasadena divorce attorneys are eager to advocate for the interests of both you and your children within the state's family court system.