Vicki Gunvalson’s Boyfriend Accused Of ‘Leaving’ Family, Not Being An Active Father
Feb. 25 2019, Updated 11:33 a.m. ET
Vicki Gunvalson’s boyfriend Steve Lodge might not be the family man he’s portrayed of being on The Real Housewives of Orange County. Lodge’s ex-wife accused him of leaving their family and moving in with a new girlfriend in divorce papers exclusively obtained by RadarOnline.com.
In the papers obtained from Superior Court of California, County of Riverside, Lodge filed for divorce from Karla Lodge on December 15, 2005 after 19 years of marriage.
Lodge cited irreconcilable differences and requested spousal support be given to Karla. He also asked for joint legal and physical custody of their two children Amanda, then 14, and James, then 12.
Lodge listed his monthly income as $6,801 while working as a police detective at City of Santa Ana. He earned an average of $3,631 monthly in overtime.
He explained in his Income and Expense Declaration that he has the children Friday to Monday each week, while his ex-wife has them Tuesday to Thursday.
In Lodge’s Order to Show Cause, he claimed he was paying too much support.
“Since respondent and I separated in June of 2005, we have shared equal timeshare with our children,” the filing read. “Our separation has shown to be extremely difficult and confusing for our children. As such, I believe it is in the best interest of our children to remain on the 50/50 visitation schedule. Additionally, I have been paying voluntary support to respondent since our divorce. The support amount I have been paying is significantly above guideline and is forcing me to work many hours of over time just to make ends meet.”
He claimed his ex-wife “is willing to only work part-time,” which has caused the “financial strain” on him to “exacerbate.”
In Karla’s answer, she requested that she be given primary custody of their children, with Lodge getting reasonable visitation.
She even claimed Lodge, “removed monies from accounts and changed his beneficiary from me to his brother." She requested a court order for Lodge to return monies to accounts and place her as beneficiary again.
The claims continued in her declaration, as she alleged that they have not shared equal time with their children.
“Our daughter Amanda has spent 99 percent of her time with me," she wrote. "She has stated to me and Steve more than once that she doesn’t want to spend much time at her dad’s house,” she wrote. “Our son, James, has spent minimal time at his house. I know that 50/50 visitation is not in the best interest of our children and would be extremely hard on them, especially Amanda.”
She claimed that while she has attended every parent/teacher conference, sporting event, band concert and more, Lodge “cannot say the same.”
“He rarely made it to their events or appointments, he always said he ‘had to work,’ she claimed. “He has not been an active parent.”
She also claimed that Lodge has been sharing his house with his girlfriend, which goes against their views of not living with the opposite sex until marriage.
“I think every other weekend and one night during the week would be a much better arrangement for them, if they want to go at all,” she wrote. “I feel they are old enough to make that decision.”
As for spousal support, she claimed he “always” worked a lot of hours and has “made that choice for years.”
She then claimed that she is “not unwilling to only work part-time,” as she has worked as much overtime as her employer would allow.
“The kids have been through so much hurt and change with their dad’s decision to leave our house that I find it very important to make the least amount of change possible in their lives," she wrote. "Although things have changed greatly for me, I don’t think the kids should suffer and not get to do the things they used to before ‘dad left...' I however, poured myself into my husband and children, as he and I decided, to provide for us and plan ahead for our retirement. Now I am feeling very vulnerable having to find my own income, to get my own health benefits and to get prepared for retirement."
In their Marital Settlement Agreement filed on April 20, 2008, Karla was reinstated as beneficiary on his two TD accounts.
The parties were granted joint legal and physical custody of their children.
Lodge was ordered to pay $1,536 per month in child support. He also agreed to pay Amanda’s Volleyball expenses, which total $5,500 per year.
As for spousal support, he was ordered to pay $1,113 per month.
To equalize the division of community property, she was ordered to pay $58,238 to Lodge. Both parties were responsible for their own attorney fees.
This isn’t the first time Lodge has been involved in a nasty divorce. As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Lodge filed for divorce from his wife Tonya Compton on March 13, 2013 after nearly three years of marriage.
On November 20, 2013, Lodge requested motion to bifurcate marital status, which means splitting marital status from all other divorce issues from spousal support to property division.
Although he requested the court “immediately dissolve this marriage,” Compton accused him of “trying to drag out this litigation as long as possible.”
“I have made numerous attempts to amicably settle our divorce since January 2013, over two months before the date Steven filed for divorce,” she alleged. “He has refused all offers presented and has refused to negotiate. He has continued to deliberately delay any type of settlement by his failure to provide even the minimum documentation requested.”
Karla even came to Compton's defense, as she filed a declaration of support defending Compton on January 6, 2014.
“When Petitioner and I commended our dissolution proceeding, Petitioner demanded that we bifurcate the issue of status,” her filing claimed. “I understood that I would become ‘single’ after the dissolution was completed, so I stipulated to bifurcate the issue of status as petitioner required.”
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She then accused Lodge of taking “every opportunity” to “delay” their litigation process. She claimed it took over a year to resolve their issues, which put her in a “very precarious financial position.”
The two reached a settlement agreement and the marriage was terminated on May 15, 2014.
Gunvalson has been open about her desire to marry Lodge on The Real Housewives of Orange County.
“I would like to be married,” she said. “I told you right out of the gate. There has to be an end goal. If not, I am going to carry on.”
Do you think Lodge is the one for her? Tell us in the comments!
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