Legal Analysis and Commentary
Facts: Woman works as a Legal Aid staff attorney representing domestic-violence victims. Man is an occupational therapist with PhD’s from both Oxford and Cambridge in England. In 2013, Man’s ex-girlfriend sought an order of protection against him. Woman was a fact witness who briefly testified in the hearing. The order of protection was denied. Eight […]
Read MoreFacts: Husband and Wife were married for 26 years. They have two adult children. At the time of divorce, wife was 63 years old and retired because of health issues. Husband was 59 years old and earned $74,000 working as a mechanical engineer. The trial court awarded marital property valued at $542,763 to Wife and […]
Read MoreFacts: During the pendency of Husband and Wife’s divorce proceedings, Wife filed a motion asking that Husband be held in civil contempt for failing to pay certain expenses and perform certain acts as he had been ordered. Husband and Wife eventually settled their divorce, and the trial court adopted their settlement agreement. That agreement provided that […]
Read MoreFacts: Mother and Father are the unmarried parents of Child. All the way back in 1999, the trial court approved the parties’ agreed order establishing paternity, awarding custody to Mother, ordering Father to pay Child’s birth expenses and medical insurance, and stating that the parties agreed no additional child support should be owed. Despite this […]
Read MoreFacts: After 26 years of marriage, Husband and Wife divorced. The trial court approved their marital dissolution agreement (MDA) that addressed the division of assets and debt accumulated during the marriage. Among other things, the MDA directed that until the marital residence was sold, Husband and Wife would equally divide the mortgage payment, insurance, and […]
Read MoreFacts: Father and Mother divorced after 14 years of marriage. They have four children. During most of the marriage, Mother was a stay-at-home parent while Husband was the financial provider for the family. About a year before the divorce, Mother began working as a teacher’s assistant. She also enrolled in a community college with the […]
Read MoreFacts: Mother and Father divorced in 2009. Father was ordered to pay $629 per month in child support and a portion of the children’s uncovered medical expenses. Five years later, Mother petitioned that Father be held in criminal contempt on 23 counts for failing to pay child support and seven counts for failing to pay […]
Read MoreFacts: Mother and Father are the unmarried parents of Child. When they separated, Mother was designated the primary residential parent and Father was ordered to pay child support. Six years later, Mother petitioned to modify child support and requested an award of attorney’s fees. Father counter-petitioned for a change of primary custody. After the trial, […]
Read MoreFacts: Father filed a petition to modify child support alleging a decrease in his income. After a hearing, the trial court modified and reduced Father’s child support obligation retroactive to the date he filed his petition to modify. The trial court also ordered Mother to pay $10,000 toward Father’s attorney’s fees and expenses. Mother appealed. […]
Read MoreFacts: Husband and Wife divorced after 27 years of marriage and 10 years of premarital cohabitation. At the time of trial, Wife was 77 years old and Husband was 67 years of age. Wife maintained two jobs throughout the marriage. Her full-time employment during the week was as a food service manager for an elementary […]
Read MoreFacts: In this post-divorce action, Father filed a petition to hold Mother in contempt for violating the parenting plan by making derogatory statements about him to their child. The trial court found Mother in civil contempt for making derogatory statements about Father to Child in violation of the parenting plan, and awarded Father attorney’s fees […]
Read MoreFacts:Husband and Wife divorced after 16 years of marriage. Wife is an orthopedic surgeon. Husband is an engineer who was a stay-at-home parent during the latter part of the marriage. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home parent, Husband earned a six-figure salary. The trial court equitably divided the marital estate. Wife was awarded assets valued at $1.65 million. […]
Read MoreFacts: Husband and Wife divorced in 1998. Wife was awarded alimony in futuro of $3500 per month until her death or remarriage. Five years later, the trial court reduced Husband’s monthly alimony obligation to $2870 because of a decline in Husband’s income. Years later, Husband petitioned to modify his alimony obligation on the grounds that […]
Read MoreFacts: Mother and Father divorced in 2010. Mother was named the primary residential parent and was awarded 223 days of parenting time to Father’s 142 days. Two years later, Mother married an officer in the United States Navy. Mother’s husband received orders requiring him to move to Virginia. Mother notified Father of her desire to relocate […]
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