Sources say that Brian Cashman, the General Manager of the New York Yankees has been separated from his wife for roughly one year. Last week, prosecutors filed stalking charges against a woman who authorities say tried to shake down the baseball official. Police say the woman had bragged to friends about dating the general manager and later bombarded the man with text messages demanding the man pay her $15,000.

While prosecutors were preparing to charge the woman on allegations of stalking and extortion, Cashman's wife served him with divorce papers. The papers were filed in court last Thursday; one day after police arrested the woman who reportedly had claimed that she was having an affair with the general manager.

Cashman's wife apparently has been living in the couple's $3.7 million mansion with their two children since the separation. In the court filing, Cashman's wife is seeking permanent alimony payments, a division of marital property and joint custody of the couple's two minor children.

The New York Yankees say that the general manager's status with the team remains unchanged.

While each state has its own laws that control in divorce, many similarities exist in the overall issues that arise in family law. For instance, current news reports do not detail the overall scope of what child custody may eventually mean for the Cashmans and their two children.

In Texas, child custody matters are determined under what the state calls "conservatorship." A joint managing conservatorship under Texas law can be more complex than it sounds. Joint child custody arrangements-or joint conservatorships-are generally preferred in Texas, but the arrangement actually includes many working parts, ranging from where the child will leave to who the child or children will primarily live with--known as possession orders in Texas.

When a marriage breaks down, it is important to for Texans to consider speaking with an experienced Houston family law attorney for aggressive representation and assistance in navigating the complex legal issues involved with divorce.

Source: New York Post, "Wife of Yankees GM files for divorce after latest cheating allegations," Liz Sadler, Jeane MacIntosh and Dan Mangan, Feb. 4, 2012