Results tagged “family law” from Family Lawyers & Divorce Attorneys Blog

Late last week, a judge ordered that a man from Lexington Park be held without bail after he had failed to pay child support.  According to reports, the man, named Deodis Lee Clyburn Sr., had four child support cases filed against him beginning in 1994.  It was estimated that the Clyburn had an unpaid balance of $98,629.

The total was derived from information collected in 2007 when a body attachment was issued for the defendant's arrest. 

During a bond hearing, Circuit Court Judge C. Clarke Raley asked Clyburn if the total of reported unpaid child support was correct.  Clyburn responded, "I mean, I guess, your honor."

At this time, Clyburn is waiting for a public defender to be appointed to his cases.  Judge Raley ordered that the four cases be scheduled before a judge that handles family law matters.

He also said that due to the outrageous amount of unpaid child support, no bond would be issued for Clyburn.

If you are having child support problems, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

Recently, an English study reported that university students and college students who have parents who are recently divorced are unhurt and are able to recover from the experience.

Researchers from the University of Warwick conducted a study which consisted of 270 students.  During the study, they assessed the students' happiness and productivity.  After their research, they concluded that students with recently divorced parents were no different than other students.  The study also revealed that male students with recently divorced parents had higher productivity. 

In a news release, Dr. Eugenio Proto said, "University students are much more resilient than has been presumed. Although parents do worry about divorcing around the years that their children go to university, our tests suggest those children turn out to be just as happy as other students."

Another researcher working on the study said that the results should be reassuring to parents of college students who are going through a divorce or who are planning to divorce.

If you are going through a divorce or a related family law matter, click here to find a family lawyer!

 

Recently, a team of attorneys that work exclusively on family law cases published a study that found that more fathers are being awarded primary child custody after divorcing their spouses.

Throughout the 1990s, the Short Family Law and Attorney Litigators claimed that even though most courts claimed they did not prefer giving custody to mothers over fathers, most states ruled to give mothers custody of their children.

Today, this has changed as many estimates show that almost 50% of fathers are given child custody. 

The report states that, "Presently, a growing number of families have stay-at-home dads and mothers who fill the role of primary earner and household provider. And as the number of domestic dads has increased, so has the legal system's willingness to award fathers child custody."

Another interesting claim the firm makes with their report is that as the economy has suffered, more men were given primary custody after losing their jobs.  By the middle of 2009, 75% of the people who lost their jobs were in fact men.

If you are looking for legal assistance with a child custody or a Father's Rights matter, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

On Monday, a recently filed court order declared that a Vermont court decision to give custody of a 7 year old girl to one parent of a lesbian couple, now separated, is enforceable in the state of Virginia.

In 2002, Janet Jenkins and her partner, Lisa Miller, conceived their daughter Isabella Miller-Jenkins through artificial insemination in Vermont.  The couple separated in 2003.  Shortly after their separation, child custody was given to Miller who moved to Virginia and later renounced homosexuality.

Later in 2003, Vermont's supreme court granted child custody to Jenkins.  The court based its decision upon the fact that Miller had denied Jenkins visitation rights and had stopped speaking with attorneys working on the case.

The decision made on Monday verifies that the court decision that was made in Vermont is enforceable in Virginia.  After the decision was made, Jenkins' lawyer, Rebecca Glenburg, said, "We expect Virginia law enforcement to take whatever actions they can to locate the child and make sure the custody order is complied with."

At this time, Isabella Miller-Jenkins whereabouts are unknown.  Experts say that former spouses often present problems in child custody cases.

If you need help with a child custody matter, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

 

In Tampa, Florida, a 41 year old man by the name of Robert George Cahill was recently sentenced with two years in federal prison.  According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Cahill was charged with willful failure to pay child support. 

Aside from being served with time in prison, Cahill was ordered to pay $72,732 in past due child support for his 17 year old daughter and 13 year old son.  At this time, his children live with their mother in the state of New York.

Authorities told news sources that Cahill failed to make child support payments since April 1997.  Even though Cahill was employed and aware of his child support obligations, he made few payments voluntarily.  At times, authorities were able to extract involuntary payments from him by placing him under arrest or requiring him to pay cash bonds before he was allowed to be released from police custody. 

Police say that in the past, Cahill had to pay $300 to avoid having his driver's license suspended and also had one of his tax refunds seized.  When interviewed by federal agents in 2007, Cahill told them that he "worked under the table" to avoid paying his child support. He also told them that he knew of his child support obligations, but "just did not care."

If you need assistance with a child support matter, click here to find an experienced family law attorney!

According to WPVI, a divorce-help website recently reported that popular social networking site, Facebook, is linked to 20% of divorces in the United States. 

The news was released after a survey was conducted by Divorce-Online.co.uk.  The British website provides essential resources for spouses who are going through divorces and legal separations.  According to the site, of the studied 5,000 divorce papers that were filed in the United States, 989 couples said Facebook played a role in their breakups.  This means that 20% of the divorces filed were Facebook related.

Mark Keenan conducted research for the British site.  He said that, "The most common reason seemed to be people having inappropriate sexual chats with people they were not supposed to."  The study also reveals that social networking websites like Twitter and MySpace were also cited as grounds for divorce.

The site is not sure if Facebook caused divorces or if it just provided means to spouses who would have been unfaithful anyway.  It also claims that some divorce lawyers crawl sites like Facebook to build stronger cases on behalf of their clients.

If you need assistance with a divorce, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

In Omaha, Nebraska, a local police officer was recently accused of strangling his wife. 
The officer, Sean Heyenga, appeared in Douglas County Court on December 18.  He faced several criminal charges, including domestic assault (violence) and making terroristic threats.  After his hearing, he was released on $20,000 bail.  In 2008, Heyenga was sworn in as a police officer.

Heyenga asked for a public defender, but the county was not able to assign him one for his recent hearing.

According to prosecutors, Heyenga came home after drinking on Thursday night.  He then got into a confrontation with his wife, which led to him strangling her and issuing death threats.  Prosecutors say Heyenga strangled his wife until she passed out.

Since the incident, Heyenga has been placed on leave pending a criminal and internal investigation.  He is scheduled to appear in court again on January 12, 2010 for a preliminary hearing.

If you need help with a domestic violence related matter in Nebraska, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

This past week, the Gosselins finalized their much publicized divorce.  After being married for 10 years, the divorce became official after Judge Arthur R. Tilson signed the divorce decree. 

According to news sources, Kate Gosselin will continue to live with the couple's eight children in their marital home.  She and her lawyer say they, "are very pleased with the final outcome."

Kate was awarded child support for her eight children, although the amount of the support payments has not been revealed.  Additionally, Jon will have to pay back money he took from the couple's joint account months back.

Neither of the spouses filed child custody or spousal support claims.  Sources say the couple will, "work out child custody arrangements amongst themselves."

In a statement, Kate said, "I am very relieved that our divorce has been finalized, and I look forward to the New Year, focusing on the children."  She also said, "This has been a challenging transition for all of us, but I am confident that we will move ahead with the important task of restructuring our lives."

Click here to find a family lawyer near you!

Recently, Beyoncé's parents, Matthew and Ina Knowles, confirmed that they are planning to get divorced. 

News sources report that the couple was married for 29 years.  Mr. and Mrs. Knowles claim that the decision to get divorced was "amicable" and that they remain committed to being good parents and colleagues, as they work on several joint endeavors.

The couple said in a statement, "The decision to end our marriage is an amicable one. We remain friends, parents, and business partners."  They also stated, "If anyone is expecting an ugly messy fight, they will be sadly disappointed. We ask for your respect of our privacy as we handle this matter."

Prior to the couple's announcement, Matthew Knowles was accused of fathering a child with Alexsandra Wright, which some say fueled the divorce.

If you are filing for divorce and you need legal help, click here to find an experienced family lawyer!

According to a recent report, the number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell by 27% in 2009.  The report indicates that foreign adoption reached the lowest level since 1996.  Adoption advocates are hoping to use this information to encourage Congress to reverse the plummeting number in the near future.

China, Russia and Guatemala all reported reduced adoption numbers.  These countries provided the most adopted children in 2008 to Americans.  In China and Russia, officials are trying to promote domestic adoptions for children.   In Guatemala, the adoption industry was known to be corrupt and has been shut down until reforms are implemented.

The State Department released figures for the 2009 fiscal year.  According to the numbers, 12,753 foreign adoptions happened in 2009.  In 2008, the number of foreign adoptions was much higher at 17,438.  The highest amount of foreign adoptions occurred in 2006 with 22,884 foreign children being adopted by American families.  Since that time, there has been a 45% decrease.

If you would like assistance with a foreign adoption, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

According to several news sources, Tiger Woods' wife stands to receive a record breaking divorce settlement if she were to decide to leave him after yesterday's announcement.  Just a day ago, Tiger Woods admitted to infidelity in public.

News sources say that his wife, Elin Noregren, had signed a prenuptial agreement prior to marrying Woods that was worth $300 million.  The couple owns a $2.6 million home, a $22 million yacht and also a $39 mansion on Jupiter Island.  They have been married since 2004.

Since 2006, it is reported that Woods earned $1 billion due to his many sponsorships and endorsements.  One of his deals with Nike is worth $30 million annually.  He also has ongoing deals with Gilette and Gatorade. 

Last week, Woods crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant outside of his house.  After the accident, the National Enquirer published a story, alleging that Woods had been dating a nightclub hostess from New York.  Aside from the nightclub hostess, Woods has been linked to two other women.

Since the accusations were made public, Woods released a public statement and apology.  He said, "I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," Woods said. "I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings."

If you need assistance with a divorce, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

In Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. District Court Judge John Nixon ordered former NFL linebacker, Dwayne Rudd, to apply 10% of his annual income to child support payments.  The order came to be after Rudd failed to pay more than $540,000 in child support.

Aside from being ordered to pay 10% of his income, Rudd was also given a five year suspended sentence, per the prosecutor's recommendation.

Recently, Rudd's income changed substantially, so he will not have to return to court until Judge Nixon determines how much he owes in child support payments.  Originally, Rudd had been ordered to pay $7,500 each month for child support.  However, he had not made any payments since 2004. 

If you need help with a child support matter in Tennessee, click here to find a family lawyer near you!

Are you currently involved in a child custody battle?  If so, you probably know that the holidays can be quite challenging as both you and your ex will want to spend quality time with your children.  Instead of getting into arguments and becoming flustered, try following the following holiday survival tips:

1. Remember, this time of year is about family and your children.  By keeping your focus on your children and their needs, you will be able to fight the urge to get into confrontations with your ex-partner.  Arguing will only lead to stress, sadness and further conflict.  Instead of fighting, focus on coming to an arrangement that is agreeable and smart for your kids.

2. If you are fighting with your ex-partner, keep discussions private.  Having confrontations in front of children is never a good idea.  Instead of fighting when your kids are within earshot, discuss matters privately.

3. This is a time for unification.  If you have the kids over Christmas, you can always invite your ex over for a short time.  This will give your children the chance to spend time with both of you and create a feeling of unity instead of opposition.

4. Re-Invent the wheel.  You may have old traditions that you shared with your ex.  However, now that you have separated, now is a great time to create new traditions and engage in fun activities with your kids.  Doing this will allow you to move forward while keeping your children happy and occupied.

If you need assistance with a family law related matter, click here to find a skilled family attorney in your area!

According to several media outlets, Lindsay Lohan's father owes $15,000 in unpaid child support to his ex-wife, Dina Lohan.  News sources say that Michael Lohan is very behind on payments for three of his younger children.

According to legal documents obtained by reporters, Mr. Lohan has not paid child support for his children Aliana, Michael Jr. and Dakota Lohan.

Last week, it is reported that Michael Lohan sold audio tapes of his family to the press for money, which prompted his famous daughter to retaliate.  When paparazzi hounded her, she said, "Why don't you go and find my dad? He's the one who wants the pictures."

On the tapes sold to the media, Dina tells Michael that their daughter Lindsay is "drinking again".  However, there is no way to tell when the tapes were made.  Dina said that the tapes had been recorded before Lindsay went to rehab for treatment.

Need assistance with a child support related matter?  Click here to find a family attorney near you!

In the state of Michigan, this past Tuesday was a very special day for hundreds of families as it was Michigan Adoption Day.

Across the state, emotions were high in several courtroom this week, specifically Midland County, where six children were officially adopted and received new names.  Judge Kelly of the Midland County court said that, "Our court has encouraged all courts across the state to make it a special day in their particular area."

One at a time, families appeared before Judge Kelly and Midland County Probate Judge Dorene Allen for the finalizations of their highly anticipated adoptions.  Judge Allen also said, "All of these families have chosen to make this public, because normally, adoptions are confidential proceedings."

The state says that on its Adoption Day, 225 adoptions were finalized in Michigan counties.

If you need assistance with an adoption, click here to find a family lawyer!

Dawnette Lounds, founder and owner of Angel Eyes Publishing Corporation and author of "The Face of Child Support," is offering $10,000 to deserving single parents who are struggling to support their children.

The 2009 Face of Child Support Raffle offers parents who are working jointly but living apart to raise their children, a chance to win $10,000.

Any parent who meets this criteria can purchase raffle tickets for $25 through December 31, 2009 at www.angeleyespublishingco.com. Winners will be selected on January 7, 2010.

More than 18 million families are reported to be in the child support system. However, due to the poor economy and high unemployment rate, child support payments are often neglected. Lounds, a single parent herself, wanted to do something to bring this issue into the spotlight.

"Single parents that are working hard to make it through this economy for their children should be rewarded for their efforts," said Lounds. 

All parents who enter the raffle will receive a copy of "The Face of Child Support."  All raffle proceeds will go towards supporting programs, activities, and events sponsored by PRO Youth, Inc., a non-profit youth organization for children from single parent homes.

For more information about child support programs in your state, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

Working Mother Magazine plans to release an article in December that claims more and more working mothers are losing custody of their children.

The article is entitled "Single Mom Seeking" and it represents 2.4 million working mothers.  Editor-in-chief of Working Mother, Suzanne Riss, said that the article is meant to serve as a, "wake-up call to families that have lost track of their priorities in this difficult economy."

In today's working world, women may outnumber men for the first-time in U.S. history.  Due to the fact that many working dads are being laid off, they are starting to take over primary caregiver duties.  This is one of the main issues judges consider when awarding child custody to one or both parents.

The article reports that:

- 2.2 million mothers in the U.S. do not have primary physical custody.  This number is on the rise and is expected to increase steadily with time.
- In 50% of child custody cases, fathers who are contesting custody will win.
- More fathers are requesting joint or sole custody of their children.  In the last 10 years, the number of fathers seeking child custody has doubled.

Riss says, "Women are surprised to learn that time spent in the office is increasingly being viewed by the courts as evidence that they're less involved in their child's day-to-day care."

If you need assistance with a child custody matter, click here to find a family law attorney!

Voters in Washington State have approved a new "everything but marriage" law that expands the rights of domestic partners.

The measure asked voters to approve or reject an expansion to the state's domestic partnership laws, granting rights that, until now, have only been given to married couples.

The new law gives domestic partners:

·         The right to use sick leave to care for their partner

·         Rights to wages and benefits if their partner is injured, as well as to unpaid wages if their partner dies

·         Rights to unemployment and disability insurance benefits

·         Rights to workers' compensation coverage

·         Insurance rights, such as rights under group policies, policy rights after the death of a domestic partner, conversion rights, and continuing coverage rights

·         Rights relating to adoption, child custody, and child support

·         Business succession rights

According to the Washington Secretary of State's Office, the new law will take effect on December 3.

While results of the voting won't be officially known until Thursday, poll workers expect the measure to pass about 52% to 48%. So far, only 72% of the votes have been counted, due to the large amount of Washington residents who vote by mail.

Passing the measure is a milestone in gay rights and equality.  Washington is the first state to pass a voter-approved gay rights measure at the ballot box, rather than the legislature or the courts implementing the law.

The bill covers all domestic partnerships, not just those involving gay or lesbian couples.  Under Washington law, heterosexual couples can register as domestic partners if one partner is at least 62 years old.

There are currently 12,000 registered domestic partners in the state.

For more information about same-sex couple issues, click here to find a family law attorney near you!

Efforts are underway in New York to create a domestic violence registry, similar to the type of registry used to identify and keep track of sex offenders.

The registry is being pursued by Suffolk County legislator DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville), who wants to make an online registry of the county's current domestic violence offenders.

Gregory said the registry he is proposing would include the same information that is found on sex offender registries, such as the offender's name, address, and photograph.

"They'll be outed, and the community and the world will know this is the thing they do behind closed doors," said Gregory. "It's going to help save lives and keep people out of danger. That is why we are pushing it 100 percent."

Despite the bill's good intentions, several organizations and coalitions against domestic violence are concerned the registry could backfire.

One of the main concerns is the risk of the registry affecting the victim's confidentiality.  Because the names and addresses of the offenders would made public, it could be easy for people to use that information to identify the victim.

But despite these concerns, there are many victims who support the bill, saying there should be a registry to indicate the offenses committed.

Gregory has decided to wait to pursue the bill in the legislature until a provision has been added that leaves it up to a judge to determine how long a domestic violence offender will be listed in the registry.

To find out if your state has a similar law, click here to find a family law attorney near you.

The divorce battle between TV's Jon and Kate Gosselin rages on.

Kate Gosselin has filed paperwork with the court for more child support and temporary spousal support after Jon took approximately $230,000 out of their bank account, according to Kate's divorce lawyer, Mark Momjian.

An arbitrator has been appointed by the court to help hammer out the financial details of the Gosselin's divorce. The arbitrator decided that for now, the Gosselin's money is only to be used for specific purposes. Momjian says that Kate is seeking relief because Jon violated the arbitrator's decision regarding the money.

Kate's application was filed last week around the same time she filed an emergency petition asking the judge to order Jon to return the money. A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday, but was canceled because the judge's wife passed away.  No new court date has been sent.

Jon's divorce attorney, Mark Heller, has yet to comment on the matter, but said that he hopes Jon and Kate will be able to resolve their monetary issues without a judge needing to intervene.

For more information about contested divorce battles, click here to find a family law attorney near you.