Family Law

Princely Prenup? U.S. Lawyers See Rise in Requests for Asset Protection

Prenuptial agreements are on the rise, U.S. lawyers say, and even Britain’s Prince William may be considering one. Queen Elizabeth’s grandson and his fiancée, Kate Middleton, plan the usual family and world-of-friends event in Westminster Abbey next month, and speculation has arisen that before the “I do’s,” the royal couple…

Mar 1, 2011 9:00 AM CST

Veiled Promises: Matrimonial Track Can Lead Spouse Wannabes to Court

It seems safe to say that most people want to get married at some point in their lives, for one reason or another—stability, money, even love. Marriage is viewed as a building block for establishing and maintaining strong family values. But if marriage is the bedrock of society, then why…

Mar 1, 2011 7:40 AM CST

At Least 3 Moms Arrested in Alleged Scheme to Trick Them Into Providing Child Porn ‘Therapy’

At least three mothers have been arrested and criminally charged in connection with a Michigan man’s alleged scheme to trick them into providing him with pornographic images of their children under the guise of providing therapy. Meanwhile, Steven Demink, 41, pleaded guilty in federal court in Detroit today to six…

Mar 1, 2011 1:46 AM CST

Top NH Court Says Trial Judge Abused Discretion by Banning Telephone Testimony

In another step toward a world in which parties, potentially, will routinely be allowed to testify in court despite the fact that they are not physically present, the New Hampshire Supreme Court today held that a trial court judge abused his discretion by refusing to consider allowing a party in…

Feb 25, 2011 10:30 PM CST

Woman Who Got Weekly Calls from Work During Her FMLA Leave Can Make Her Case in Court

Employers who pressure sick employees into returning to work early may face legal trouble. In Arkansas, a legal dispute between a hospital and a former staff member is clarifying the line between asking about ill employees and pestering them to return to work, the Ohio Employer’s Law Blog says. A…

Feb 23, 2011 11:19 PM CST

Obama Concludes Federal Law Banning Recognition of Same-Sex Marriage Is Unconstitutional

President Obama has concluded that the federal law barring recognition of same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, and has decided the administration will no longer defend the statute in court. Attorney General Eric Holder explained the president’s decision in a statement released today, according to the Washington Post and Metro Weekly’s Poliglot…

Feb 23, 2011 5:44 PM CST

Ex-President Judge of Luzerne County Found Guilty on 12 of 39 Counts in Kids-for-Cash Case

A former president judge in Pennsylvania who was accused of pocketing millions in job-related payments and putting juveniles in jail for his own financial benefit has been convicted on 12 of 39 counts in a federal bribery prosecution. The charges on which Mark Ciavarella Jr. was found guilty by a…

Feb 18, 2011 7:42 PM CST

Mom Probed After Making Teen Son Stand by Road Wearing Sign About Poor Grades

A Florida mom says she doesn’t want any of her children to have to stand at the side of the road begging for change. So 33-year-old Ronda Holder ordered her son, James Mond III, 15, to stand at the side of the road for several hours on Wednesday, wearing a…

Feb 18, 2011 7:03 PM CST

How Gal Pal’s Lawyer Got Mel Gibson Offer to $16M (Refused), Up From 1 Year Rent and Dodge Charger

When Oksana Grigorieva moved in with Mel Gibson, a 2009 cohabitation agreement provided that she would get one year’s free housing in a home he owned and a Dodge Charger if the couple split. But after she had the actor’s child, and especially after she taped him in an embarassing…

Feb 17, 2011 12:04 AM CST

Law Firm Gives Away Free Divorce on Valentine’s Day

A West Virginia woman has won a free divorce in a law firm’s annual Valentine’s Day contest. The Webb Law Firm of Charleston, W. Va., named Loretta Travis the winner of its contest for her “creative and humorous description of her husband,” according to a press release. The firm gives…

Feb 15, 2011 2:09 PM CST

Judge Overrules Parents, Gives Doctors OK to Perform Surgery on Injured Wrestler, 16

Injured during a wrestling practice last month, a 16-year-old boy in Pennsylvania needs surgery on his spine that his parents have nixed, a state-court jurist has decided. So Delaware County judge Mary Alice Brennan faxed an order today to doctors at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital giving them permission to stabilize…

Feb 10, 2011 10:38 PM CST

Divorce Lawyers Tell Twisted Tales of Valentine’s Day

The phones are ringing off the hook for divorce lawyers on the day after Valentine’s Day. New York City divorce lawyer Nancy Chemtob tells the New York Times City Room blog that November and December are slow months because no one wants to get divorced during the holidays. January is…

Feb 9, 2011 12:00 PM CST

New Federal Funds Prompt ABA Proposal to Aid Transitioning Foster Youth

Homelessness, incarceration and unemployment are the likely scenarios that await a disproportionate number of the nation’s foster youths when they reach adulthood and are thrust into society ill-prepared and alone. Nearly two-thirds of emancipated foster youths don’t have driver’s license; fewer than four in 10 have at least $250 in…

Feb 8, 2011 9:53 PM CST

As LA Dodgers Owner Hires Sullivan & Cromwell, His Ex-Counsel Bingham McCutchen Hires Gibson Dunn

After testimony in a high-profile divorce case last year suggested that Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt could lose control of the team due to an apparent error by his legal counsel in drafting a postnuptial marital property agreement signed by his ex-wife, Jamie McCourt, he and his then-counsel, Bingham…

Feb 8, 2011 5:02 PM CST

Mom in Spotlight for Hot Sauce and Cold Shower Discipline Is Charged with Child Abuse

An Alaska mother who sought help from a national television show in disciplining a difficult child has now been charged with abusing a 7-year-old boy she and her husband adopted from Russia. Jessica Beagley, 36, faces a misdemeanor case in Anchorage city court, reports WLTX. She is expected to plead…

Feb 4, 2011 9:40 PM CST