Family Law

U.K. Divorce Lawyers Swamped With Calls on ‘D-Day’ Monday

British lawyers say their busiest day of the year is the Monday after New Year’s Day, and yesterday was no exception. Lawyers refer to the Monday as D-Day because so many people decide to divorce after spending holidays home with their spouse, the Washington Post reports. James Stewart, a partner…

Jan 8, 2008 8:08 PM CST

‘Sadly Predictable’ Murder By Released Prisoner in Calif. Domestic Case

It’s a sad story that’s been told before, but California prosecutors are trying to figure out how to keep it from happening again: Accused of twice taking his estranged wife to isolated locations and restraining her during November 2007—once by handcuffing her to furniture in a hotel room and another…

Jan 8, 2008 5:54 PM CST

Court Order Resolves Britney Spears Family Dispute

A three-hour argument last night over custody of Britney Spears’ two children was resolved ”peacefully by court order,” a Los Angeles police spokesman said. The lawyer for Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline, Mark Vincent Kaplan, arrived at Spears’ home around 8 p.m. yesterday evening, and the children were later turned over…

Jan 4, 2008 12:23 PM CST

Lawyers in Britney Spears Custody Case Quitting

Lawyers representing Britney Spears in her ongoing custody battle are calling it quits. The law firm Trope and Trope told a court yesterday that there has been a breakdown in communications with its famous client that makes representation impossible, according to an Associated Press story based on a filing obtained…

Jan 3, 2008 5:59 PM CST

Sperm Donor Not Liable for Child Support, Court Rules

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that a private sperm donor does not have to pay child support to a woman who promised he would have no financial obligations as a result of the arrangement. Joel McKiernan had been paying up to $1,500 a month to support twin boys born…

Jan 3, 2008 4:53 PM CST

Tax Laws Pose Special Problems for Divorcing Gay Couples

Lawyers are finding creative solutions to tax obstacles faced by divorcing gay couples. Retirement savings and pension plans are easily divided when heterosexual couples divorce. But for gay couples, the savings plans may have to be cashed out and heavily taxed, the Washington Post reports. Under current law, only $12,000…

Jan 2, 2008 3:52 PM CST

New Practice Area for Nev. Firm: Suing State Over Child Abuse

To report a case of child abuse, you call a state agency. But what do you do when the state agency itself is mistreating a child? Two brothers who practice law together in Las Vegas have an answer to that question for people concerned about abused foster children in Nevada:…

Dec 21, 2007 2:18 AM CST

Ohio Supreme Court: Surrogate Mom Has No Parental Right to Triplets

In a cutting-edge case that has spotlighted the gap between traditional family law principles and state-of-the-art medical options for dealing with infertility, a Pennsylvania woman who carried triplets to term as a surrogate mother for an Ohio man has been found to have no parental rights over the infants. Because…

Dec 20, 2007 10:49 PM CST

Already Rich, Bride Seeks More From Soon-To-Be Ex-Husband #4

In a case that may change the way antenuptial agreements are handled in the U.K., a wealthy British bride who had essentially separated from her fourth husband within six months of their marriage is seeking to invalidate a premarital pact that each keeps his or her own assets in a…

Dec 20, 2007 4:33 PM CST

Kinder, Gentler Collaborative Divorce Also Costs Less

A kinder, gentler method of getting divorced has won fans among both clients and counsel. But it has yet to win over some traditionalists, who wonder, for instance, why collaborative divorce must include a promise not to litigate. (Those who violate the ban on courtroom battle have to start over…

Dec 18, 2007 8:48 PM CST

Laws and Cultural Pressures Condemn Some Widows to Poverty

Discrimination against widows in many countries is a hidden problem that dooms the women and their families to a life of poverty. Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, set out to shine a spotlight on cultural traditions and laws that discriminate against widows in an…

Dec 18, 2007 3:28 PM CST

Man Can’t Get Alimony Reduced Because Ex-Wife Is in Jail

A New York judge has refused to reduce a man’s $4,000 a month in alimony payments to his ex-wife who is in jail after pleading guilty to a drug possession charge. Justice Elaine Jackson Stack refused to lower the amount, saying it could be detrimental to the woman when she…

Dec 17, 2007 1:09 PM CST

Broken Elevators Delay Bronx Family Court Hearings

Out-of-service elevators at the Bronx Family Court have led to hours-long waits for working elevators by litigants and witnesses. Some judges have been forced to postpone hearings because of the delays, the New York Times reports. In some cases judges issued arrest warrants for people who were waiting in the…

Dec 12, 2007 2:29 PM CST

R.I. Gay Couple Can’t Divorce There, State High Court Rules

The Rhode Island Supreme Court has refused to allow the state’s courts to grant a divorce to a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts. The 3-2 ruling (PDF) released Friday said Rhode Island defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and the legislature would have to change…

Dec 10, 2007 1:49 PM CST

Adult Children Sue French Parents for Support—and Win

A growing number of adult children suing their parents for support—and winning—has sparked a lobbying effort to revise the French law that holds parents responsible for supporting their children into their 20s and beyond. French parents’ obligation to “nourish, maintain and raise” their children dates back to an 1804 Napoleonic…

Dec 7, 2007 10:50 PM CST