An appeals court says a single spank doesn't qualify as domestic violence.

A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday quashed an injunction for protection against domestic violence.

It cited common law and a 2002 Florida Supreme Court ruling that says reasonable or non-excessive corporal punishment can be used as a defense against child abuse charges.

Circuit Judge Karen Gievers of Tallahassee had issued the injunction against a father identified in the ruling only as "G.C."

He had been accused by his former wife of spanking their 14-year-old daughter once on the buttocks with his hand.

The father said the teen had been disrespectful and defiant. The girl said she was only being sarcastic.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has hired the attorney who represented Jennifer Aniston in her split from Brad Pitt to handle his divorce from Maria Shriver.

The Hollywood actor-turned-governor has officially engaged the services of Robert Kaufman, who specializes in keeping star splits low-profile, TMZ reported Wednesday.

Kaufman, whose other famous divorce clients include Reese Witherspoon and Jessica Simpson, has already been in touch with Shriver's attorney, Laura Wasser, to "move forward" with negotiations, according to TMZ sources.

Schwarzenegger, 63, announced his separation from former NBC journalist Shriver after 25 years of marriage on May 10.

A week later, reportedly at Shriver's insistence, he acknowledged that he had fathered a child with a longtime household employee over a decade ago.

The couple is believed to have a prenuptial agreement, but it may not stand in light of their long marriage and Schwarzenegger's infidelity.

Their net worth is estimated to be between $200 million and $400 million, meaning their divorce could be one of the most expensive celebrity splits ever.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the estranged wife of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt will ask a L.A. Superior Court judge to order the immediate sale of the team.

According to two people familiar with the legal proceedings, Jaime McCourt, the former CEO of the Dodgers who is embroiled in a contentious divorce with her husband, is expected to urge Judge Scott Gordon to order a sale before Commissioner Bud Selig and the league can seize the cash-strapped club.

Jaime McCourt believes the actions of her husband have put the storied franchise's value in danger. Gordon, who is overseeing the couple's divorce, is expected Thursday to set a date to hear her request, according to the Times.

D.C.'s highest court has ruled against opponents of the city's same-sex marriage law, saying they cannot ask voters to overturn it.

Opponents had wanted to challenge a law that took effect in Washington in March allowing same-sex couples to marry. They attempted to get approval to put an initiative on the ballot asking city voters to define marriage in the city as between one man and one woman. But city officials balked, saying a district human rights law barred initiatives that would authorize discrimination.

On Thursday, the D.C. Court of Appeals ruled 5-4 that officials had the authority to keep the measure off the ballot and acted appropriately.

Forgot to de-friend your wife on Facebook while posting vacation shots of your mistress? Her divorce lawyer will be thrilled.

Oversharing on social networks has led to an overabundance of evidence in divorce cases. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 81 percent of its members have used or faced evidence plucked from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking sites, including YouTube and LinkedIn, over the last five years.

"Oh, I've had some fun ones," said Linda Lea Viken, president-elect of the 1,600-member group. "It's very, very common in my new cases."

Facebook is the unrivaled leader for turning virtual reality into real-life divorce drama, Viken said. Sixty-six percent of the lawyers surveyed cited Facebook foibles as the source of online evidence, she said. MySpace followed with 15 percent, followed by Twitter at 5 percent.

About one in five adults uses Facebook for flirting, according to a 2008 report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. But it's not just kissy pix with the manstress or mistress that show up as evidence. Think of Dad forcing son to de-friend mom, bolstering her alienation of affection claim against him.

Michael Jackson's former doctor lost a bid in a California court to resolve a child support issue that threatens his Nevada medical license.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court commissioner rejected a bid Thursday by attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray to obtain a court order relieving Murray of an obligation to pay about $16,000 in back child support to the mother of his 12-year-old son.

Authorities in Las Vegas had said that if Murray got the California court order, Nevada would stop efforts to revoke his medical license for failure to pay.

A hearing is set June 25 before a Family Court hearing officer in Las Vegas.

Murray told police he administered the anesthetic propofol to Jackson for insomnia. Murray has pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the pop star.

Dennis Hopper's estranged wife and daughter can live on his property while the couple resolve their bitter divorce case and the actor fights prostate cancer, a judge ruled Monday.

Superior Court Judge Amy Pellman also ordered the actor to pay $12,000 a month in spousal and child support.

Hopper, 73, did not attend the hearing but was repeatedly described by his attorney as "desperately ill."

Hopper's three adult children from previous marriages attended but did not speak.

Pellman sternly told both sides they needed to come together during what appeared to be Hopper's final days.

"It's never one-sided," Pellman said of the family turmoil. "There needs to be street-cleaning on both sides of this street."

The judge noted the couple's 7-year-old daughter is about to undergo the traumatic loss of her father and the rhetoric should be toned down.