Joe Montana and Kim Moses: Strangers in the Fight

It's Getting Personal!

Joe Montana, the legendary San Francisco 49er's quarterbac,k is suing his ex-wife Kim Moses for $75,000 for selling personal memorabilia such as love letters and college I.D. cards. His basis for suit is that Moses is violating copyright laws by auctioning theses items last weekend by a Dallas law firm.

Montana, married three times, married Moses in 1974 and they were divorced less than three years later. Montana's take is that "maybe she is strapped for cash or just trying to get revenge".

My brother went through a divorce much the same way. The negotiations went from just deciding to divorce and dividing the property to a game of one-upmanship and trying to hurt the other one by gaming for personal belongings like baseball card collections and a Barbie Doll. They meant nothing to the other one but they did carry a certain cash value and pain level so they jumped on them.

Actually, that is more the rule than the exception. People at the beginning, just want to get out of the marriage, but, as time goes on and the scorned partner has time to get angry, they begin to want to get a "pound of flesh". Additionally, lawyers can get additional fees if the people go back at one another so they may be inclined to not do as much to soothe things over.

How can one protect themselves from this type of nonsense?

First, it makes sense to have a "mini" agreement during the marriage that if they ever got divorced, personal items would be out of bounds. In fact, it may make sense, if the items are not used on any regular basis to give them to parents just as though they were never brought into the family.

During the divorce procedure early on, make an effort to fortify the fact that the issue of the parting should be financial, not personal.

I believe it doesn't hurt for each one of you to put certain personal items into a personalized safety deposit box.

When you are looking at pictures say, from a vacation, as you are going through them see who likes a particular picture best and put that person's initial on it; where possible get duplicates.