[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta will pay $4, 750 in spousal support

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta will pay $4,750 in spousal support
January 10, 2012. (NOLA.com | Times-Picayune archive)
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on February 20, 2014 at 4:08 PM, updated February 20, 2014 at 4:30 PM

St. Bernard Parish President Dave Peralta on Thursday agreed to pay $4,750
in spousal support to his wife Sharon Shaefer Peralta.

The Peraltas married in March 2012, and they separated sometime between Dec.
10 and Dec. 12, 2013, according to their divorce filings.

The have been embroiled in a contentious divorce following Sharon Peralta's
accusation that Dave Peralta raped her in October.

During a hearing in the Chalmette courthouse on Thursday afternoon, Dave
Perlata agreed to pay the $4,750 over two payments, with the first $2,375
being made by Monday and the final half on or before March 25. Both parties
agreed that would be the only spousal support that Sharon Peralta will
receive from him.

The Peralta agreed to the payment plan after more than an hour of
discussions before the hearing in front of Judge Michael Kirby, who the
state Supreme Court assigned to the case after all five St. Bernard judges
recused themselves due to potential conflicts of interest. During a hearing
earlier this month, Kirby awarded both Dave and Sharon Peralta mutual
restraining orders against one another.

Sharon Peralta's attorney Vernon P. Thomas said that the short length of
their marriage, along with the couple's prenuptial agreement, factored into
the final sum.

Dave Peralta's attorney Adele Faust said that Sharon Peralta initially had
asked for $6,000 a month for up to a year and so that they were satisfied
with the final settlement.

While both Sharon and Dave Peralta on Thursday declined to comment directly
on the spousal support or the rape allegation, they both confirmed that Dave
Peralta had filed a small claims suit against her this week asking for
$2,000 for his attorneys fees in a Orleans Parish Civil District Court
protective order matter that was later dismissed because it was filed in the
wrong venue. Sharon Peralta was served with notice of that suit while she
was at the courthouse on Thursday.

Dave Peralta filed his petition for divorce on Dec. 23, and so the divorce
could become official within 6 months, or by late June. Both attorneys said
they did not expect any additional hearings related to the divorce before it
becomes final.