Tennessee Supreme Court Clarifies Standard for Parental Opposition to Grandparent Visitation: Coleman v. Olson
When must a parent oppose grandparent visitation to invoke Tennessee’s grandparent-visitation statute?
Read MoreCategory: Procedure
Tennessee Family Law Legislative Update 2018
Was the Tennessee Legislature as bad in 2018 as they’ve been in previous years? You be the judge.
Read MoreChild Support Reversed for Lack of Subject-Matter Jurisdiction in Morristown, Tennessee: Hance v. Hance
Can other courts act when a dependency and neglect action is pending in Tennessee?
Read MoreMental Health Examination No Basis for Judicial Recusal in Nashville, Tennessee Child-Custody Dispute:
Can a court make its own motion that a party undergo a mental health examination?
Read MoreJurisdiction Contested in International Child-Custody Dispute in Winchester, Tennessee Divorce: Hagans v. Hagans
How can a Scottish court have jurisdiction over the child of parents from Tennessee?
Read MoreTennessee Republicans Fail to Intervene in Knoxville, Tennessee Same-Sex Divorce: Witt v. Witt
Should politicians be allowed to intervene personally in a Tennessee divorce?
Read MoreSuspension of Visitation Reversed in Clarksville, Tennessee: In re Carter K.
Father’s visitation suspended after he lies under oath.
Read MoreDrafting Error Leads to Reversal of Damage Award in Lewisburg, TN Divorce: Kanka v. Kanka
Everyone makes mistakes. Some, however, are costlier than others.
Read MoreTennessee Supreme Court Reverses Child-Custody Change in Chattanooga: C.W.H. v. L.A.S.
Temporary, legal employment as a sex worker leads to a change of custody by the Tennessee Supreme Court.
Read MoreJurisdiction Contested in Interstate Child-Custody Dispute: In re Arabella L.
Facts: Mother and Father are the parents of Child. Mother lives in Alabama, and Father lives in Tennessee. They share equal parenting time by exchanging custody every two weeks per a custody order from a Tennessee court. Three years later, Mother petitions an Alabama court to modify the Tennessee parenting plan. A week later, Father files […]
Read MoreTennessee Supreme Court Says Parent’s Signature Not Required on Notice of Appeal in Termination of Parental Rights Cases: In re Bentley D.
The legislature says a notice of appeal in a termination of parental rights case must be signed by the appellant. The Court of Appeals dismissed several such appeals solely because the notice of appeal was signed by the lawyer. Now the Tennessee Supreme Court weighs in.
Read MorePodcast #3: Judge Bill Swann Reflects on Changes in the Practice of Law
K.O. interviews Judge Bill Swann about the changes he observed in the practice of family law during his 32 years presiding over the family-law court in Knoxville, Tennessee. Judge Swann also suggests ways attorneys can be more effective advocates in court.
Read MoreNo Standing to Terminate Parental Rights in McMinnville, TN: In re Lyric A.
Can one parent terminate the other parent’s rights in Tennessee?
Read MoreDefault Judgment Modifying Parenting Schedule and Child Support Reversed In Sparta, TN: Lawson v. Stewart
Facts: When Mother and Father divorced in 2009, Mother was designated the primary residential parent for their child, and Father was awarded 109 days of parenting time. Father’s child-support obligation was determined to be $220 a month. In 2016, Mother petitioned to modify the parenting plan to reduce Father’s parenting time and increase his child-support […]
Read MoreTennessee Supreme Court Ain’t Got Time for All the Dismissed Termination-of-Parental-Rights Appeals: In re Bentley D.
Well, that didn’t take long. A few weeks ago I wrote about the sudden avalanche of appellate decisions dismissing parental-rights-termination cases because the appellant’s lawyer signed the notice of appeal on behalf of the appellant. Recently amended Tennessee Code Annotated § 36-1-124(d) requires that “[a]ny notice of appeal filed in a termination of parental rights […]
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