A California assemblyman and his wife have suddenly reached an agreement to amicably part after a messy court fight over spousal support and the custody of their children.
Lawyers for Democrat Joaquin Arambula and his wife Elizabeth told reporters Friday outside the Fresno County Superior Court that the two parties agreed to a preliminary settlement. Details were not disclosed.
“There’s been a number of conversations, discussions and negotiations ongoing between the parties for quite some time. And I believe that Mr. Aguirre and I are both very pleased that our clients are able to come together and reach agreements,” said Zeppy Attashian, attorney for Elizabeth Arambula.
Kim Aguirre, attorney for Joaquin Arambula, said his client is now in “a very good place.”
The agreement came after 90 minutes of closed door discussions. Joaquin, who is running for Fresno City Council, said his priority is being able to still have access to his daughters.
Elizabeth had asked for joint legal custody of their three daughters, and sole physical custody. She has also asked for child support and spousal support.
The divorce fight threatened to expose Joaquin’s personal life when she dropped bombshell divorce filings accusing Joaquin of dabbling in drugs, alcohol and having a gaming addiction as the reason she left him on January 26.
In court documents, she said their expenses are $28,000 a month, and she claimed Joaquin drained $1 million from their accounts.
“Elizabeth has either directly or indirectly received more than $30,000 from me in the last several weeks,” Joaquin had told The Post. “She wants more than $27,000 a month. Thousands of Fresno families don’t make this in a year.”
On the addiction allegations, the assemblymember said he was “prepared to demonstrate my continued sobriety to the court and my willingness to support my family.”
A May 14 custody hearing is scheduled, but attorneys said it could be canceled if an agreement is finalized.
