Family Law

Oil baron’s ex can’t appeal divorce award because she cashed his $1B check, top state court says

Unhappy that she got only about $1 billion of her husband’s fortune of at least $10 billion, the ex-wife of Harold Hamm appealed the divorce award. But Sue Ann Hamm, a lawyer and economist who is also known as Sue Ann Arnall, cashed Harold Hamm’s check for not quite $975…

Apr 28, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

In gay-marriage arguments, a protester interrupts and 2 closely watched justices appear cautious

As arguments on gay marriage began in the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, two closely watched justices noted the traditional definition of marriage. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is viewed as a possible swing voter, but at least one commentator—University of California at Irvine Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky—has predicted that Chief…

Apr 28, 2015 11:37 AM CDT

Will statue bring luck in gay-marriage arguments? Lawyers reveal their argument rituals

When the preparations are over, many Supreme Court litigators rely on routine and good luck charms to help them on days of oral arguments. Michigan Special Assistant Attorney General John Bursch planned to follow a ritual favored by many in the Supreme Court bar when he defends his state’s gay-marriage…

Apr 28, 2015 8:36 AM CDT

Line started on Friday for gay-marriage arguments in SCOTUS; what does a place sitter cost?

The cost of securing a seat for Supreme Court oral arguments on gay marriage today is $50 an hour. That’s how much money it costs to hire a service to hold a place in line for arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, Slate reports. The first 14 people in line were…

Apr 28, 2015 7:50 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Facing history, SCOTUS is likely to approve same-sex marriages

In Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court will review a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upheld laws in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee prohibiting same-sex marriages. The 6th Circuit’s 2-1 ruling followed decisions in the 4th, 7th, 9th, and 10th Circuits that declared unconstitutional state laws prohibiting…

Apr 27, 2015 11:00 AM CDT

Mother-daughter Pink concert wasn’t an abuse of parental discretion, judge rules in custody tiff

A father who saw red when he learned his 11-year-old daughter had attended a Pink concert with her mother was unable to persuade a New Jersey judge that the event was harmful. Judge Lawrence Jones of Ocean County ruled (PDF) that taking the girl to the December 2013 concert was…

Apr 27, 2015 7:03 AM CDT

Ex-lawmaker charged with felony sex abuse is acquitted by jury

A former state lawmaker being criminally tried in an unusual sexual-abuse case, based on his late wife’s dementia, was acquitted Wednesday by an Iowa jury. Henry Rayhons was charged in the felony case after staff at the nursing home at which Donna Rayhons was then living determined, with the help…

Apr 22, 2015 4:10 PM CDT

Jury convicts rabbi, acquits son in kidnapping-conspiracy case related to religious divorces

Defense counsel said the facts of the situation had been exaggerated. But a federal jury on Tuesday convicted Rabbi Mendel Epstein, as well as two other rabbis, of kidnapping conspiracy related to the religious divorces they helped clients get from reluctant husbands. The two other rabbis, Binyamin Stimler and Jay…

Apr 22, 2015 8:50 AM CDT

Woman shoots husband who entered home in violation of protective order and is herself shot by police

An Alabama woman got a protective order and tried repeatedly to have her estranged husband arrested after he allegedly continued to threaten her. At one point, he texted her a cryptic message: “U thank UR safe UR not.” On Sunday, Bradley Skinner broke into the home his wife shares with…

Apr 21, 2015 10:00 AM CDT

Sperm donor didn’t have touted degrees and ‘impressive health history,’ suit says

A Canadian couple who learned the identity of sperm Donor 9623 in a batch of emails from an Atlanta sperm bank did some sleuthing and found he was not as described, a lawsuit alleges. Angela Collins and Margaret Elizabeth Hanson, who have a 7-year-old son conceived with the donor’s sperm,…

Apr 21, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Utah mom gets up to life in slayings of 6 newborns found in garage

A Utah woman who pleaded guilty earlier this year to murder in the deaths of six newborns whose bodies were hidden in the garage of her home has been sentenced to as much as life in prison. In exchange for the plea by Meagan Huntsman, who is now 40, the…

Apr 20, 2015 4:15 PM CDT

Gay couple got Colorado marriage license in 1975 but lost deportation case; Kennedy wrote opinion

A documentary set to air on PBS tracks the legal troubles of a gay couple who obtained a marriage license in Boulder, Colorado, long before Massachusetts became the first state to recognize same-sex marriage as a result of a 2003 court decision. Anthony Corbett Sullivan and Richard Frank Adams received…

Apr 20, 2015 10:43 AM CDT

Proposed custody laws encourage equal parenting time for dads and moms

Proposed changes to custody laws in New York and Washington state would require judges to give substantially equal parenting time to moms and dads, unless the arrangement would not be in the child’s best interests. The two jurisdictions are among 20 states considering changes in child custody laws, the Wall…

Apr 20, 2015 6:45 AM CDT

Donald Sterling’s wife wins another round: Judge says ex-companion must return $2.6M to family trust

The wife of former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling has won another round in an ongoing court battle over family assets. Agreeing with Rochelle “Shelly” Sterling that a $1.8 million home and $800,000 in luxury vehicles and cash gifts came out of the married couple’s community property, a Los…

Apr 15, 2015 2:15 PM CDT

Mom files federal civil rights suit in parental fight over circumcision of boy, 4

Held in contempt of court and in hiding with her 4-year-old son because she doesn’t want him circumcised, a Florida mom started raising funds for her legal fees via social media last month. Now Heather Hironimus has filed a federal civil rights suit on the child’s behalf, contending that he…

Apr 14, 2015 4:20 PM CDT