blog home Separation Sam Donaldson and Wife Jan Smith Donaldson Separate

Sam Donaldson and Wife Jan Smith Donaldson Separate

By Nottage and Ward on January 21, 2013

Veteran ABC News correspondent, Sam Donaldson, was arrested for driving under the influence in Lewes, Delaware in December, 2012. Donaldson was chief White House correspondent for ABC News. In that capacity he covered Presidents Carter, Reagan, and Clinton. He was the co-host of “Prime Time Live” and an ABC News Sunday morning telecast along with Cokie Roberts.

According to the Associated Press, Donaldson was pulled over on December 1 for a traffic violation, and the officer smelled the odor of alcohol and determined he had been drinking. Donaldson was administered field sobriety tests which he proceeded to fail. A phone call by an AP reporter was made to Donaldson’s home in McLean, Virginia but was not returned. McLean, VA is almost 110 miles to the west of Lewes, a southern Delaware coastal town.

After the arrest, Donaldson’s wife, Jan Smith Donaldson, told The Washington Post that the couple, who had been together for 29 years, had been separated for several months. Her attorney, Sandy Ain, confirmed the separation to The Washington Post on January 2nd, 2013.

This marriage was Sam Donaldson’s third. The two met at ABC News where they both were employed. They were married in 1983. Sam Donaldson has four children—all grown—from his prior marriages. The couple had no children together. It remains unknown whether or not Sam Donaldson’s arrest on drunk driving was at all linked to issues of separation.

Whether or not you are a high-profile couple, attorney Jeffrey Knipmeyer and the Illinois legal team at Nottage and Ward can help guide you through a divorce and obtain a divorce settlement in your best interest. Call us at (312) 332-2915 or visit us online at www.nottageandward.com where you may complete our online contact form.