Family Law

Legal Bills in Pet Pug Custody Case Top $40K as Judge Mulls ‘Subjective Value’

When Eric Dare and Doreen Houseman first asked a New Jersey judge to determine which of the two would get custody of their pet pug, Dexter, he treated the toy dog as if it were simply another item of property to be apportioned as part of the break-up of their…

Jul 30, 2009 6:06 PM CDT

Debbie Rowe Agrees Katherine Jackson Will Get Kids, Retains Visitation Rights

Michael Jackson’s children will be raised by his mother, Katherine Jackson, but the mother of two of the children will get visitation rights under an agreement reached by the two women, according to a newspaper report. A source tells the Los Angeles Times that the agreement is expected to win…

Jul 30, 2009 2:18 PM CDT

Judge Appoints Guardian to Review Finances of Octomom’s Kids

A California judge has appointed a guardian to review the finances of Nadya Suleman’s octuplets. Judge Gerald Johnston of Orange County ruled a guardian is “appropriate and justifiable” in a suit filed by former Disney Mouseketeer Paul Peterson, a child labor advocate, the Associated Press reports. Peterson is represented by…

Jul 28, 2009 1:58 PM CDT

Mom Accused of Neglecting 555-Pound Son by Overfeeding Him

The arrest of a woman accused of allowing her 14-year-old son to reach 555 pounds raises the issue: Does allowing a child to become dangerously overweight amount to criminal neglect? Jerri Gray of Travelers Rest, S.C., was charged in June and her son, Alexander Draper, was put in foster care,…

Jul 21, 2009 2:36 PM CDT

California Divorce Lawyer Accused of Soliciting Wife’s Murder

A La Jolla, Calif., divorce lawyer has been arrested on charges that he tried to hire others to kill his wife. Lawyer Steven Robert Liss was arrested Monday and charged with solicitation to commit murder, false imprisonment and spousal battery, according to the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune.…

Jul 21, 2009 1:29 PM CDT

Homeless Man, Jailed for Failing to Support Boy Who Wasn’t His, Is Freed

A homeless man has been freed after sitting in a South Georgia jail for more than a year for failing to pay the costs of supporting a boy who wasn’t his. Frank Hatley won his freedom yesterday after a Georgia judge concluded he was indigent, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “I…

Jul 16, 2009 12:03 PM CDT

Judge Sent Homeless Man to Jail for Failing to Support Boy Who Wasn’t His

Updated: A judge who put a homeless man in a South Georgia jail for more than a year for failing to pay the costs of supporting his “son” knew there was no biological tie. On Wednesday, the judge released Frank Hatley after his new lawyer from the Southern Center for…

Jul 15, 2009 12:37 PM CDT

Lawyer Freed After Spending 14 Years in Jail on Contempt Charge

A Pennsylvania lawyer has been freed after spending more than 14 years in jail for refusing to give his ex-wife more than $2.5 million in a divorce settlement. H. Beatty Chadwick, a 73-year-old former corporate lawyer, told the Associated Press he couldn’t pay the money. “If I had been convicted…

Jul 13, 2009 2:45 PM CDT

How a Kidnapped Conn. Lawyer Managed to Escape

A Hartford, Conn., lawyer held hostage by her husband for more than nine hours on Tuesday managed to escape by unscrewing an eyebolt on a basement wall to which she was handcuffed. Lawyer Nancy Tyler told The Day of New London that she did not expect to survive the kidnapping…

Jul 10, 2009 11:37 AM CDT

Hartford Lawyer, Held Hostage for a Day, Escapes Before Home Is Set on Fire

A Hartford, Conn., medical malpractice defense lawyer managed to escape her home after her ex-husband held her hostage for more than nine hours yesterday. Soon afterward, the home became engulfed in flames. It’s not clear whether lawyer Nancy Tyler escaped or was released by her ex-husband, Richard Shenkman, according to…

Jul 8, 2009 11:23 AM CDT

Law Firm Sued Over Divorce Client’s Use of Spyware

A law firm in Chattanooga, Tenn., has been sued for $2 million by a man who says one of its lawyers tried to use improperly intercepted e-mail in a divorce case. Farrell Hayes says in the suit that the law firm Berke, Berke and Berke represented his wife, Alice Suzanne…

Jul 6, 2009 6:39 PM CDT

Doing “Work Necessary To Win”

Lambda Legal lawyer led fight for gay marriage in Iowa

Jul 2, 2009 12:50 AM CDT

New Michael Jackson Child Custody Issue: He May Not Be Biological Dad

Complicating a potential legal battle over the custody of Michael Jackson’s children, it appears possible that none of the three may be biologically his. Additionally, Debbie Rowe, who is Jackson’s ex-wife and the mother of two of the children, may not be biologically related to any of them either, reports…

Jun 30, 2009 6:32 PM CDT

Michael Jackson’s Mom Gets Temporary Custody of His Children

Updated: Legal experts say Michael Jackson’s ex-wife has a strong legal claim to custody of his two oldest children, but that isn’t stopping the pop star’s mother from waging a court battle. Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine, is taking care of the three children after the star’s death, and won temporary…

Jun 29, 2009 5:15 PM CDT

Ill. Auto Dealer Sues Doc in Rare Tort Claim Over Wife’s Alleged Affair

An alienation of affection lawsuit is a relic of legal history in most states. But not in Illinois, where a well-known automobile dealer has sued a plastic surgeon for allegedly “solicit[ing] and initiat[ing] a romantic and sexual relationship” with his wife, Ronda. Bob Rohrman, who is president and owner of…

Jun 25, 2009 4:33 PM CDT