Family Law

New Battle in Gay Marriage Case Is Over Opponents’ Motives, Internal E-Mails

Lawyers challenging the California referendum that banned gay marriage in the state are seeking access to e-mails and other internal documents of referendum backers in a quest to show discriminatory motives. Lawyers for gay-marriage supporters say internal documents showing discriminatory intent would be relevant because they would undermine claims of…

Sep 28, 2009 3:54 PM CDT

Stanford’s Wife Sues Divorce Lawyer, Claims $200M Offer Not Disclosed

The estranged wife of indicted billionaire R. Allen Stanford has filed a lawsuit alleging her former divorce lawyer didn’t tell her about a $200 million settlement offer last year. Susan Stanford wants her former lawyer, Nancy Rommelmann, to pay $200 million in damages for not telling her of the verbal…

Sep 25, 2009 4:55 PM CDT

After $40K Legal Battle, Judge Gives Fractured Couple Joint Custody of Pet Pug

Doreen Houseman and Eric Dare spent some $40,000 battling over the custody of the pet pug they shared back when they were still together as a couple. But now they will continue to have a relationship, of sorts concerning their custody of Dexter, which a New Jersey judge has awarded…

Sep 22, 2009 4:17 PM CDT

Chinese Officials Steal & Sell Babies for Adoption for $3K Each, L.A. Times Says

There are strict laws in China about how many children married couples can have. Officials have the power to order abortions and sterilizations and, once a baby is born, heavy fines can be levied if a family’s quota of one to two children is exceeded. However, government officials don’t have…

Sep 21, 2009 7:42 PM CDT

DOJ Defends Anti-Gay Marriage Law, But Indicates Disapproval

The U.S. Justice Department is defending—but not endorsing—a federal law that says marriage is a union between a man and a woman. In court documents filed today, the department says the law is “constitutionally permissible,” although it disagrees with the statute as a policy matter, the Boston Globe reports. The…

Sep 18, 2009 6:04 PM CDT

Judge Suspended for 6 Months for Sending Clients to His Own Lawyer

Rejecting a recommendation that a Minnesota judge should be removed from office for steering matrimonial mediation cases to his own divorce attorney, the state supreme court has suspended him for six months without pay. The court also censured Goodhue County District Judge Timothy Blakely for his referral program. Although both…

Sep 17, 2009 9:38 PM CDT

Probe Finds No Evidence of Threats Against High-Profile Teen Runaway

An Ohio teen caused a furor when she ran away to Florida, claiming that she was at risk of a so-called honor killing if she continued to live with her Muslim family after converting to Christianity. Her family said that wasn’t so, and now a Florida Department of Law Enforcement…

Sep 14, 2009 9:16 PM CDT

Client Sues Bryan Cave for $10M, Says Prenup Silent on Capital Gains Tax

A prominent Missouri businessman has sued Bryan Cave for malpractice in St. Louis County Circuit Court, contending that the firm and partner Lawrence Brody botched his prenuptial agreement by failing to address the issue of capital gains tax. Since a substantial portion of Donald Bryant’s assets were in a high-profile…

Sep 9, 2009 9:14 PM CDT

Client’s Sons Sue Hogan & Hartson for $120M, Say Lawyer Fought Too Hard

When Robert Cave agreed to help Colleen Boland negotiate a settlement agreement to resolve alimony and child support issues with her ex-husband, the Hogan & Hartson partner thought of the matter as a quick favor. But nearly 12 years later, the matter—which survived his client’s death several years ago—has damaged…

Sep 8, 2009 8:33 PM CDT

Marriage Proposal

Prop 8 suit goes federal, and that worries same-sex marriage advocates

Sep 2, 2009 2:50 AM CDT

After a Year Away, Military Mom Gets More Access to 2-Year-Old Daughter

Ruling today in a child-custody case that became high-profile after a national newspaper featured Leydi Mendoza as an example of a military mom who has suffered as a parent due to her military service, a New Jersey family court judge says she can have more access to her 2-year-old daughter.…

Sep 1, 2009 6:34 PM CDT

Minn. County Must Pay for Lawyer for Mother in Child-Custody Case

Everyone agreed that a mother at risk of losing custody of her child needed a lawyer. But who would pay the attorney’s fees? She couldn’t afford to, and officials for Rice County and the state of Minnesota pointed the finger at each other. Upholding County Judge Thomas Neuville, a state…

Sep 1, 2009 5:38 PM CDT

Mom Loses Case Over Unauthorized 10 a.m. Breast-Pumping Bathroom Break

A ruling last week by a divided Ohio Supreme Court in a pregnancy discrimination case is igniting controversy on the Internet. Although the court didn’t reach the key issue of whether an employer violated a state law barring discrimination against pregnant women, its final dismissal of the claim brought by…

Aug 31, 2009 11:42 PM CDT

Recession Sends More Parents to Court for Child-Support Cuts

Many noncustodial parents whose incomes have taken a hit in the recession are seeking reductions in their child-support payments. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers asked its members about the issue earlier this year, the Associated Press reports. Thirty-nine percent of the members who responded reported an increase in modifications…

Aug 28, 2009 3:09 PM CDT

Fla. Asserts Unstable Gay Homes Justify Adoption Ban

A lawyer representing the state of Florida argued Wednesday that the state’s gay adoption ban is justified because gays have higher rates of domestic violence, psychiatric disorders and breakups. In oral arguments before a state appeals court, Deputy Solicitor General Timothy Osterhaus did not disagree that the gay foster parent…

Aug 27, 2009 12:36 PM CDT