In April of this year, multiple media reports detailed the pending Alabama divorce of PGA tour professional Jason Dufner and his wife of approximately three (3) years, Amanda. The proceedings were attractive fodder for the news media, not only because of Jason Dufner’s status as the recent winner of one of golf’s major tournaments (the 2013 PGA Championship), but also because of the couple’s extremely high profile in mainstream professional sports media. Jason’s tour persona was affable and a bit eccentric, and it certainly did not help that Amanda was regarded as one of the most attractive spouses on the PGA tour.
Media reports placed Amanda’s divorce settlement at approximately $2.5 million, with Jason retaining two homes in Auburn, Alabama. The disclosure of such terms in ostensibly private proceedings between a divorcing couple really highlights the need for lawyers to be diligent in assuring that clients in high-profile divorce cases have their affairs kept confidential. In Las Vegas, for example, local court rules mandate that upon the request on a party, contested family law hearings must be conducted privately and outside of public view (E.D.C.R. 5.02). Nevada statutory law also permits the formal sealing of distinctly defined papers, records, proceedings, and evidence in a divorce case, thus keeping them closed to public inspection (NRS 125.110). In any high-profile case – whether national or local – representative counsel needs to be attentive to such remedies when protecting the privacy interests of his or her clients.