Supermodel, billionaire settle child-support dispute

NEW YORK – Canadian supermodel Linda Evangelista and French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault reached a child-support settlement on Monday following two days of tense, often personal court testimony last week in Manhattan.

Lawyers for both parties declined to disclose the settlement. A lawyer for Evangelista called media reports that she sought $46,000 a month as a misunderstanding, but acknowledged she was seeking a “substantial” sum to raise their 5-year-old son.

Both parties agreed to return to court on Tuesday to finalize the agreement.

“Everybody’s glad, for the sake of the child, that it’s done,” David Aronson, attorney for Pinault, told reporters outside of court.

The model and Pinault walked out of the courtroom together, whispering. The scene was a stark contrast to last week’s trial, when Evangelista barely acknowledged Pinault and shot him icy glances during opening arguments.

Evangelista, 46, and Pinault, 49, had been embroiled in a contentious child-support trial over their son Augustin, conceived during a brief liaison in late 2005.

Pinault testified to ending the relationship after learning Evangelista was pregnant in early 2006. He denied a charge he had asked her to terminate the pregnancy.

Augustin was born in October 2006. Within a year, Pinault would father a child by actress Salma Hayek, named Valentina. Hayek and Pinault married in 2009 in Paris, on Valentine’s Day.

Pinault is chief executive of PPR, a multinational firm that owns luxury brands including Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. He is worth about $3 billion, according to Aronson.

Last week, Evangelista’s attorney, William Beslow, grilled Pinault over his finances, the amount he spends on his other children and about the gifts he’d given Augustin. Beslow had argued Augustin was entitled to financial support on par with Valentina.

Pinault acknowledged he had put his $12 million Los Angeles home in a trust for Valentina to “reassure” Hayek that she and their child would be taken care of should anything happen to Pinault or to their relationship. Pinault fathered two children by a previous wife before meeting Evangelista.

Last week’s courtroom drama included a series of contentious exchanges, including Pinault’s acknowledgements that he “didn’t even know (Evangelista) very well” when she became pregnant. Evangelista also gave a detailed account of her rise from a 50-cent-a-basket cherry picker in her Canadian hometown near Niagara Falls to one of the most photographed faces in the world.

source: interaksyon.com

Asian-American leaders laud Obama nomination of Fil-Am as federal judge

A woman lawyer could become the first Filipino-American to serve as an Article III federal judge if her nomination by US President Barack Obama is approved by the US Senate.

Article III judges enjoy lifetime tenure.

The nomination of Lorna Schofield was immediately hailed by Asian-American community leaders.

“I am honored to put forward these highly qualified candidates for the federal bench,” President Obama said in nominating Schofield and three others. “They will be distinguished public servants and valuable additions to the United States District Court.”

“As a second-generation Filipino American, Ms. Schofield’s nomination and confirmation by the Senate would make her the first in the history of the United States to serve as a federal judge,” said National Federation of Filipino American Associations chairman Ed Navarra. “Given that Asian Americans are significantly underrepresented in the federal judiciary, Ms. Schofield’s addition will greatly enhance the judiciary’s diversity.”

“We congratulate Lorna Schofield on her nomination to serve as a federal district court judge on the Southern District of New York,” said Nimesh M. Patel, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. “She is an exceptionally well-qualified nominee, and we thank both President Obama and Senator Schumer for putting her name forward to serve on such a distinguished court.”

“It is exciting to finally see a Filipina American have the opportunity to serve as a federal judge,” said KAYA: Filipino-Americans for Progress co-chairman Jason T. Lagria. “Growing up, there were not many Filipino lawyers I could look to as role models, and I hope her nomination inspires members of our community to follow in her footsteps.”

Schofield is a second-generation Filipino-American, the only child of a post-World War II Filipina immigrant who raised her after her father left them when she was just three years old.

She received a full tuition scholarship to attend Indiana University and earned her law degree from the New York University Law School in 1981.

In 2008, she was named one of the nation’s 50 most influential minority lawyers by the National Law Journal.

She served as Assistant United States Attorney in the criminal division of the Southern District of New York for four years where her significant cases involved prosecuting domestic terrorism, arms smuggling, and tax fraud.

Schofield was the first Asian American Pacific Islander to chair the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association’s largest section, which has over 60,000 members, and has also served as a member of the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.

source: interaksyon.com

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