In the past, we have seen the drama and love form on Vanderpump Rules between Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor, and most recently we saw them on The Valley with their relationship put to the test. And then it happened, Cartwright, filed for divorce in August of 2024 from Taylor, citing the cause of their split as “irreconcilable differences”.
A month following Cartwright’s Petition, Taylor filed a response on September 6, 2024, representing himself, appearing to give Cartwright sole legal and physical custody of their son Cruz Micheal Cauchi. The response also contained incorrect information about the Parties’ date of separation, indicating that the Parties were never legally married and that they only had one asset which was their family home (however, we all know that this is not true, Cartwright and Taylor have multiple businesses together, including, a Podcast and a restaurant as they have showed in the Valley).
Taylor must have figured out that he did not fill out the response correctly, and on October 3, 2024, he obtained an attorney and filed an amended response. Taylor’s attorney was able to essentially correct the errors from the most recent court filing that Taylor did by himself.
With this, cited below are a couple of things that we can learn from the Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright divorce proceeding, thus far:
- Take Legal Documents Seriously
Any writing with a signature on a legal document filed with the Court will be considered binding. With this information, it is important to take this seriously and fill out these documents to the best of your ability, for if they are not, there could be major consequences.
- A Party amends its Petition/ Response.
Under the California Code of Civil Procedure 471, the California Code of Civil Procedure grants permission and allows a one-time amendment to be made for a petition regarding a legal separation or a divorce case. This usually can be done without many requirements. However, this must be done before a response or demurrer is filed. If it is filed after the response, then the procedure becomes more complicated.
In this case, since Cartwright did not file anything with the Court after Taylor responded in August of 2024, it was likely that Taylor could amend his complaint with little to no complications. With his new complaint, he revised child support and custody requests, their true date of separation, and the correct assets that the Parties have.
- Dividing up Custody Agreements can Happen Amicably.
There are different types of custody arrangements, including sole physical custody, joint physical custody, sole legal custody, joint legal custody, or primary residential custody. While there is no indication as to what Taylor and Cartwright agreed to without the Court’s involvement, they have indicated that they have agreed to terms and visitations of their minor child. Despite their divorce, it does seem that Taylor and Cartwright will do whatever they can to maintain a healthy and solid relationship with their son.
Lastly, and side note, in a most recent episode of their podcast “When Reality Hits”, Cartwright, disclosed that she did not sign a prenup with Taylor, therefore, they will split their assets according to California’s Community Property laws. I’m sure we will learn more about their divorce from their show or podcast.
At Butler Law, PC, we know that divorce is a difficult process. If you have any questions about your case when filing a petition for divorce or answering a petition, do not hesitate to contact us to further assist you.