Family Law

Lawyer OK After Man Allegedly Shot at Him with Rifle in Law Firm Parking Lot Near Va. Courthouse

A suspect is being held without bond after allegedly shooting at a Virginia attorney with a rifle in a law firm parking lot across from the main courthouse in Chesterfield County. Authorities say Mark M. Lowe, 41, shot at the lawyer and missed. The attorney, who has not been publicly…

Jun 21, 2012 9:03 PM CDT

Fathering Court Helps Ex-Cons Connect with Kids

A Washington, D.C., program known as Fathering Court encourages ex-cons to reconnect with their children. The program is operated by the District’s superior court with help from a network of agencies, including the Child Support Services Division and the Department of Employment Services, according to a Washington Post column. The…

Jun 20, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Top Delaware Court Reprimands Business Solo for Resisting Mandatory Family Court Appointments

Delaware’s top court has publicly reprimanded a 16-year solo business law practitioner for resisting multiple court appointments to handle matters in Sussex County’s family court. John M. Murray had argued that it was his responsibility to inform clients and the court that he was not experienced in family court or…

Jun 19, 2012 7:30 PM CDT

Who Will Defend Illinois’ Gay Marriage Ban? State and Local Prosecutors Support Lambda

The prosecutor for the county that includes Chicago has conceded that Illinois’ ban on gay marriages violates the state constitution. The concession by Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez leaves defense of the law to any outside group that can prove standing, the Chicago Tribune reports. The American Civil Liberties…

Jun 15, 2012 12:00 PM CDT

Federal Judge Strikes Down Portion of DOMA in Estate Tax Case

A federal judge in Manhattan has struck down a portion of the Defense of Marriage Act in a case involving estate taxes. U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones ruled that the provision denying equal federal benefits to gay married couples violates the equal protection clause, report the New York Law Journal,…

Jun 7, 2012 2:07 PM CDT

9th Circuit Won’t Hear Appeal of Prop 8 Same-Sex Marriage Case, Putting It on Fast Track to Supremes

In a move that could allow the U.S. Supreme Court to hear as early as this fall an expected appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that California ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court on Tuesday declined to review, en banc, an earlier decision by a…

Jun 5, 2012 10:46 PM CDT

Mom of Missing Oregon Boy, 7, Files $10M Custodial Interference Suit Seeking Answers From Stepmom

The mother of a 7-year-old boy who disappeared in Portland, Ore., nearly two years ago has filed an unusual civil lawsuit against the child’s stepmother. It seeks $10 million in compensatory damages for emotional distress due to Terri Horman’s alleged custodial interference concerning Kyron Horman and a court order requiring…

Jun 1, 2012 10:55 PM CDT

County Prosecutor Won’t Charge ‘Sister Wives’ Family

Corrected: Members of the family portrayed in the Sister Wives reality TV show won’t face prosecution in Utah County, Utah. In a motion to dismiss a challenge to the state’s bigamy law, Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman said his office has adopted a policy that it won’t prosecute consenting adults…

Jun 1, 2012 11:33 AM CDT

Help in KIND: Group Guides Pro Bono Attorneys Serving Unaccompanied Child Immigrants

On an unusually warm March evening, “Alexander,” with lawyer Alexandra B. Hess by his side, talks about his journey through life so far. Less than two years ago and then 16, Alexander was hiding in the waters of the Rio Grande hoping the U.S. Border Patrol did not see him.…

Jun 1, 2012 9:50 AM CDT

1st Circuit Strikes Down Section of DOMA Law Denying Federal Benefits to Gay Couples

A federal appeals court has struck down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act on equal protection and federalism grounds. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the law discriminates against married gay couples who are denied federal benefits, the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times…

May 31, 2012 3:20 PM CDT

Lawyer Is Suspended for Two Years for False Claim About Judge’s Behind-the-Bench Activity

A Kansas lawyer has been suspended for two years for falsely claiming that the judge mediating her divorce appeared to be masturbating under the bench. Kimberly Ireland made the claim in an ethics complaint and a federal lawsuit, according to findings of fact by a hearing panel. At the time…

May 31, 2012 11:00 AM CDT

Did Suspect Physician’s Obsession with Attorney in Claimed Murder Conspiracy Go Beyond Divorce Case?

A 64-year-old Mississippi lawyer might seem an unlikely target for a 70-year-old physician’s claimed obsession. However, individuals who know attorney Lee Abraham Jr. and Dr. Arnold Smith Jr. said they weren’t surprised when the physician was criminally charged after an April 28 shootout between an alleged hit man and law…

May 29, 2012 10:54 PM CDT

Lack of Online Privacy Rights Is Very Troubling, Says Author

ABA Journal web producer Lee Rawles talks with Lori Andrews, author of "I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy" about the lack of online privacy rights and the need for a social media constitution. They discuss the changes that social networks have brought to all areas of the law, including evidence gathering; what evidence is admissible in courts; how social media can affect the right to a fair trial; and the right to control one's image.

May 29, 2012 5:19 PM CDT

Staff of Reclusive Heiress Coerced Her Out of $44M in Gifts, Executor Says

Nurses, doctors, a hospital, a lawyer and an accountant for reclusive heiress Huguette Clark coerced or influenced her out of more than $44 million in gifts, the executor of her estate said in a court filing Tuesday. The executor, who doesn’t deny that Clark authorized nearly all of those gifts,…

May 23, 2012 9:37 PM CDT

Twice-Jilted Would-Be Groom Sues Former Fiancee for Wedding Deposits, Her Share of the Rent

A twice-jilted New York man is suing his ex-financée for her share of the deposits he put down on their ill-fated wedding and for her half of the rent on the apartment they shared prior to their breakup. In the suit, filed recently in Manhattan Supreme Court, the New York…

May 23, 2012 5:46 PM CDT