A Fox News report about attempted home invasions at Danielle Rollins' home in Atlanta
We know from our series of posts about Birmingham resident Sherry Carroll Rollins that marrying into the mega-wealthy Rollins family and then trying to get divorced can be a harrowing experience--especially if you are a woman.
The folks behind Atlanta-based Rollins Inc., the parent company of Orkin Pest Control and other highly profitable enterprises, apparently are more than willing to play hardball when family assets are at stake. Atlanta author, socialite, and Southern Living contributor Danielle Rollins is the latest to learn just how dangerous the hardball can get.
We first reported on Danielle Rollins with an October 2012 post titled "Sex Addiction And Big Bucks Are At The Heart Of a Juicy Divorce Story In The Deep South." Danielle's husband, former Orkin president Glen Rollins, reportedly sought treatment--apparently without much success--at the same sex addiction clinic that treated Tiger Woods.
The sex addiction issue seems quaint compared to recent events in the Danielle/Glen story.
Danielle divorced Glen Rollins in 2013, but the case is ongoing as Danielle challenges her proceeds from the case and reportedly seeks a share of Glen's trust fund. Danielle also is suing her original lawyers in the divorce, who she claims (according to an article at dailyreportonline.com) "pressured her to sign a hastily prepared, handwritten settlement agreement that gave her some $15 million—but cut her out of millions more—and saw her and the couple's three children forced to vacate their Buckhead estate, Boxwood."
Is someone unhappy with Danielle's aggressive legal tactics, especially her pursuit of an equitable share of Glen's trust fund, reportedly valued at more than $1 billion? Recent evidence suggests the answer might be yes.
Danielle recently made national headlines when she and security personnel had to scare off a home invasion or attempted robbery at her Buckhead residence for the third time in one month. From a New York Daily News article:
"A security guard hired by Danielle Rollins, the Southern Living contributor the magazine calls “Atlanta’s preeminent hostess and tastemaker,” chased away men Rollins heard trying to break in Saturday night, she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“I’m obviously rather freaked out and tired, but I’m not going to be scared out of my own house,” Rollins said.
How bad could the situation have gotten? A report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides clues:
(Danielle) was unpacking the night after Christmas, after a holiday break, when someone tried to enter her home.
“The private security guard I hired after my last break-in three weeks ago, and probably for the rest of my life now after this, chased at least two men through a neighbor’s yard,” she said in a post to her Facebook page, which she granted the AJC permission to share. “They dropped a backpack containing items including but not limited to guns, mace and ties. The Atlanta Police Department responded immediately, blocking and securing the area, with helicopter and canine patrol. This is not a way to live.”
Atlanta Police Department officers recovered a cache of weapons including a stolen gun, duct tape, rubber gloves, binoculars and other items dropped by the suspects as they ran off. Officers were unable to chase down the suspects but recovered a black ski mask, glove and other items inside a backpack the suspects dropped.
Contents of the backpack included some disturbing evidence. Somebody was taking their assigned task seriously:
Inside the backpack were a “loaded Ruger SR9c 9mm (Serial #33380289) with a 10 round capacity magazine with 7 rounds loaded,” an Atlanta police report said. “A second magazine was located that had a 17-round capacity with 13 rounds loaded and a 9mm ammo box with 4 rounds left. The gun was checked on ACIC and it came back stolen from Sandy Springs Police Department (Case # 2015015698). The gun was taken in a burglary where the victim walked in on the suspect still inside his home.”
Also recovered: 3- particulate respirators. 1-Bushnell 16×32 binoculars, 1 small roll of Duct tape, 2- small Mace brand pepper sprays, 14- black rubber gloves, and 1-verizon blackberry (no battery or backing).”
Was someone planning a kidnapping, a murder, or both? It sure sounds like it.
How could a divorce case turn so ugly? For one thing, the Rollins family's net worth is an estimated $7.4 billion, according to a recent AJC report. (Our sources say that figure is way too low.) Also, ugliness is not new in Rollins divorces. During her divorce from Ted Rollins, Sherry Rollins said, several wheels on her vehicle mysteriously came off while she was driving--and a mechanic said all of the lug nuts had been loosened. Also, she awoke one morning to find a bloody, dead deer lying on her doorstep.
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| Danielle and Glen Rollins (From Forbes) |
Was misconduct present in the Danielle and Glen Rollins marriage? The answer is yes, and some might call it misconduct of a gross nature. From an AJC report:
After their storybook beginning, Danielle discovered that Glen had begun consorting with prostitutes — by the time of their divorce, they numbered between 25 and 50, he has admitted in court.
That suggests Danielle Rollins might be entitled to more than a 50/50 split of assets, but the share she received in the settlement was nowhere near that. She and the couple's children even were forced to move out of the marital residence, which normally goes to a mother and children--although, as Sherry Rollins knows, that doesn't necessarily happen in a Rollins divorce.
In her case, Ted Rollins failed to make court-ordered payments on the family home, causing Ms. Rollins and the couple's daughters--Sarah and Emma--to flee to Alabama, where they had family members living. Ted Rollins then sued Ms. Rollins for divorce in Alabama, and Shelby County Judge D. Al Crowson issued a divorce decree, even though Ms. Rollins already had initiated divorce proceedings in South Carolina, where the family had lived, and the case had been litigated there for three years.
That can't lawfully be done, based on an Alabama case styled Wesson v. Wesson 628 So. 2d 953 (1993), which holds:
Once jurisdiction has attached in one court, that court has the exclusive right to continue its exercise of power until the completion of the case, and is only subject to appellate authority.
Al Crowson essentially stole the case from South Carolina, regardless of what the law says--and he proceeded to issue a final order that was wildly favorable to Ted Rollins. As Danielle Rollins is learning, strange things can happen in Rollins divorce cases.
What will happen next in the Danielle/Glen case, which is perhaps the messiest, high-profile divorce the South has seen in years. That's hard to say, but the case is making national news. Here is a report from Good Morning America:
18 comments:
More money more problems.
I hope cops are taking this seriously. Sounds like someone has evil intentions.
Good gosh! And I thought soap operas were bad back in the day. This is worse than any of those! Home invasions? A dead deer? Just goes to show that people with money sometimes will do anything to protect their reputation. This story definitely fits the "injustice" theme of your blog...she definitely did not get justice, while the ex appears to be taking his form of justice in to his own hands. Prayers for her and her kids safety!
I think lawyers and judges who screw around with divorce cases make these kinds of situations more volatile.
What about the other houses that were broken in? Were the occupants at home? I really don't wana go there but in these situations you've got too. There's a lot of money involved here. The perps could have went there to rape, rob, kidnap, or assassinate. Sure those are worst case scenarios, but I hope there are extra police cruisers on alert there.
Good point, @12:59. There have been a number of break-ins in Buckhead lately, both homes and cars. I believe one woman was held at gunpoint for 90 minutes in one home invasion. Hard to tell if these are isolated from one another or something that is coordinated.
Wasn't Danielle Rollins held in contempt of court in this case?
Yes, that came after arbitration on division of personal property. Here is how an AJC article explains it:
On the eve of their divorce trial in December 2013, Glen and Danielle reached a settlement.
Glen got to keep Boxwood. He agreed to give Danielle $15.35 million and to pay child support. An arbitrator would oversee the division of home furnishings the couple had acquired for Boxwood.
Danielle also believes she didn’t get a fair shake in the division of property. Regardless, this is what has Danielle on the precipice of a jail term.
After the arbitrator issued his ruling, Danielle only had a few days to move out of Boxwood and take out the things awarded to her. After she left, Glen found that many items awarded to him were either missing or damaged.
There were deep scratches on a marble vanity, ripped curtains, ruined carpet and damaged antique crystal sconces, he said. More than 100 doorknobs — worth “tens of thousands of dollars,” Glen has testified — were removed and replaced with doorknobs from Home Depot.
Among the missing items were paintings and pieces of furniture, some that were found and returned, some that are still missing, according to court records.
On Dec. 18, 2014, Judge Lane convened a hearing to decide whether she should find Danielle in contempt of court.
Will be very interesting to see how Ms. Rollins' lawsuit against her divorce lawyers turns out. Was she really hurriedly pressured into signing a settlement? Hard to say, but if she was, you wonder what was motivating her lawyers to take such an approach. Divorce settlements can be long and complicated, and any client needs to be encouraged to check them closely, and think about them deeply, before signing off.
I bet it was staged. She is bitter that she didn't hold out for more money. $15 million got dangled in front of her and she thought between that and child support she was making out like a bandit. She realized that it wasn't as sweet of a deal and tried to take extra belongings from the residence and cost him more money. Now that she is trying to sue, she wants to be the victim. Family courts are full of people who fabricate elaborate stories to play the pity card.
enough of the blog writing. start writing novels or T.V. dramas. There is nothing on t.v. right now so I read your blog, well I save it for evenings, when there isn't anything on t.v. and boy this is better than anything on t.v. I know you can't make this up, but really, its amazing what Americans do in a divorce.
In Canada, marriage is a provincial (state) matter, but divorce is a federal matter, so it doesn't matter where you divorce the rules and the split and child support are all the same. Might be something they try in the U.S.A. its much better for the children, if its all coded in law. If you don't pay child support here, you might not get any income tax rebates. they use it to pay the kids.
What these guys do in the U.S.A. is make the government/taxpayers pay when they ought to pay.
its a good thing this Ms. Rollins has a security guard. Doubt if the local police are going to be much help at all. Good for her for standing up for herself and her children. Certainly is movie material.
Thanks for the kind words, e.a.f. Maybe you can form a "Legal Schnauzer Club" up in Canada. I would be honored. Also, you make a very interesting point about divorce being a federal matter in Canada. I think it should be that way in the U.S., if for no other reason than to even out the workload in our court systems. I think roughly 90 percent of U.S. lawsuits are heard in state courts. If you go into a state/county courthouse, you can see that figure in action because the courthouse is likely to be packed with people, all looking lost, disgusted or some of both. Go to a federal courthouse, and it's usually opulent by comparison, many are almost like a bank or hotel. Quiet, serene surroundings, and usually very clean. In state courthouses, you don't want to touch any surfaces for fear of catching a disease. I think most federal judges have relatively little to do, so we need to dump the divorce cases on them. The Canadians are smarter about both health care and legal services.
Divorce has always been a federal responsibility so when we got the first Trudeau as P.M. he changed the divorce laws so there was no need for "grounds" simply the marriage no longer was viable and that was after a year of separation. Eventually the law became "the interests of the child". That meant no matter where you live in Canada, child support is the same. It is simply based on what the non custodial parent makes/is worth.
Actually you are listed on a blog list by a blogger in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, Pacific Gazetter, written by RossK. A Phd researcher. its about politics in B.C.
I found you why I typed in corruption, coal, and gambling. that's B.C. except no it isn't coal so much anymore and we don't do divorce like they do in the U.S.A. because guys like the Rollins, well their wives and children would do so much better here. Actually we have family courts which deal with divorce, child support, etc. That is their business, not the other courts, unless there are appeals and such.
really enjoy the blog.
Have there been any updates on these matters since January 7, 2016 ?
This is the latest I've seen, from late Jan. 2016:
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/local/rollins-punishment-for-contempt-on-hold-for-now/nqD5D/
Morgan Pickard (Glen's fiancee- the old nanny of his brother) CONTINUES to brag on her social media accounts about this.
I worked for Glen Rollins for a short time 10 years ago. The man's ego is bigger than his estate. He's a little worm of a man with a Flock of Seagulls hairdo who is grossly lacking in social grace. Professionally, he rode on the coattails of his father and uncle. He lived the high life as so many wealthy young snots do without a care for anyone else. He is a classic user of people and things.
His ex-wife, Danielle, is lovely. I am not her friend, but I met her twice and
found her to be very down-to-earth. She is the quintessential lady of grace and style. She's not bitter. She is hurt. She has made a huge success of herself and I say kudos to her! Glen needs to worry about how he is going to explain to his children that Daddy bedded the family domestic and ended up marrying her -- pigs lie down with pigs.
I see Danielle has been here in both June and July adding her "anonymous" comments.
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