Court records indicate that Sherry Rollins' divorce case, at first, was moving along in a normal fashion. A South Carolina judge had issued a temporary order that called for Ted Rollins to pay $3,355 a month in child support for the couple's two daughters, $5,000 a month in alimony, and continue paying the mortgage, taxes, and insurance on the marital home.
Records indicate that the mortgage was not paid, and Sherry Rollins and her children were forced from their home. Mrs. Rollins fled to Alabama, where her two sons from a previous marriage were living.
What happened next? Ted Rollins failed to pay the court-ordered alimony and child support, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. For you or me, that would mean we were in deep doo-doo.
What did it mean for Ted Rollins? Not much. He filed a lawsuit for divorce against his wife in Alabama--and Shelby County Judge Al Crowson actually allowed it. For anyone who's had a few days of Law School 101, that last sentence should shock the conscience. That's because such a transfer of a case across jurisdictional boundaries simply cannot be done.
It can be done, however, in GOP-controlled Alabama when your name is Ted W. Rollins--and you are part of one of America's richest families. It probably did not hurt that Ted Rollins had worked for years with Bradley Arant Boult and Cummings, one of the largest and most conservative law firms in Alabama.
In fact, Ted Rollins has especially close ties to Bradley Arant lawyers Dawn Helms Sharff and Walter Sears. Bradley Arant, of course, is home to Rob Campbell, son-in-law to Alabama Governor Bob Riley. The firm has received huge sums of state dollars during the Riley era, and we will be taking a close look at the firm's action in future posts--especially as they relate to Ted W. Rollins.
Why was it unlawful for Ted Rollins to move a divorce case from South Carolina, where it already was well under way, to Alabama? It's a simple matter of jurisdiction, which is supposed to be a serious matter under the law. Judges are not to take action on a case where they do not have jurisdiction. And even the most clod-headed of attorneys should know that. The lawyers at Bradley Arant certainly should know that.
Such fundamental matters are governed by all kinds of law. One of the most clear-cut Alabama cases is styled Wesson v. Wesson, 628 So. 2d 953 (Ala. Civ. App., 1993). The case states, in very clear language:
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