Family Law

Legal Gender-Bender: Dad-to-Be Pregnant

How does the law relate to a pregnant dad? Some folks in a central Oregon resort town are about to find out. Originally born female, a transgender man in the city of Bend is now legally Thomas Beatie, married to Nancy. Because his wife had her uterus removed, however, and…

Mar 27, 2008 9:16 PM CDT

Judge Vacates Divorce, Giving Wife in Murder Case Military Benefits

An Oklahoma judge has vacated a divorce last month of a military couple, so that the wife can get government benefits following her then ex-husband’s murder of their two children. “Her attorneys said after the hearing the ruling was the only way the longtime stay-at-home mom could get any money…

Mar 27, 2008 5:36 PM CDT

Unusual Ohio Custody Case: Did Mom Fake Teen’s Illness?

Is Angie Cox a caring parent with an unhealthy teenager? Or is she an unusual mom who encourages doctors to diagnose nonexistent symptoms and illnesses in order to put herself in the spotlight as the parent of a seemingly ailing child? Those questions are front and center in an unusual…

Mar 25, 2008 9:52 AM CDT

Sperm Donor Who Claims Parental Rights Seeks Cert

A sperm donor who lost his bid for parental rights is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his appeal. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled against Daryl Hendrix in a 4-2 opinion released in October, the Associated Press reports. The court upheld a Kansas law that says sperm donors have…

Mar 21, 2008 2:30 PM CDT

Woman’s Boyfriend Charged in Stuck-Toilet-Seat Case

The bizarre case of a Kansas woman who sat on a toilet seat so long that it became stuck to her body has resulted in a criminal charge against a man alleged to be responsible. Kory McFarren, 37, who is reportedly the boyfriend of the woman stuck to the toilet,…

Mar 20, 2008 9:28 PM CDT

Top 10 Deadbeat Parents Targeted in Calif. County’s Most Wanted Poster

They’re reportedly the worst of the worst in Los Angeles County, owing between $63,000 and $427,000 in unpaid child support concerning a total of 17 children. So, under a new program unveiled today, these 10 individuals will be featured on a public most-wanted poster, reports the Los Angeles Times. In…

Mar 18, 2008 11:57 PM CDT

Why Heather Mills Got Merely $50M from Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney

Excepts from a ruling in the divorce case of former Beatle Paul McCartney help show why his estranged wife, Heather Mills, got a little under $50 million. She had reportedly been seeking $125 million from the top pop singing star, who was found by the judge to have a net…

Mar 18, 2008 3:59 PM CDT

Best Friend’s Ex Charged in Florida Attorney’s Murder

An attorney whose body was found in a canal near her South Florida home March 7 was murdered by her best friend’s estranged husband, police say. They have charged Tony Villegas, 44, in the death of lawyer Melissa Lewis, 39, and he was arraigned today, according to the Miami Herald.…

Mar 18, 2008 2:15 AM CDT

McCartney Ordered to Pay Ex $48.6M

Paul McCartney’s ex-wife, Heather Mills, will get $48.6 million in a divorce settlement. Mills is already holding assets worth $15.6 million, and she’ll get the rest of the award in a lump sum payment of $33 million, the Associated Press reports. She will also get $70,000 a year in child…

Mar 17, 2008 2:41 PM CDT

Under Unusual Montana Marriage Law, Some Couples Say ‘I Do’ a Lot

Montana may be the only state in the country that allows couples to get married without actually being present. As a result, the thrill is gone for the proxies who get married again and again, on behalf of others. Nonetheless, these absentee marriages serve an important purpose for some faraway…

Mar 11, 2008 11:17 PM CDT

Britney’s Lawyer: Big Tipper Federline Can Afford His Own Legal Fees

The new lawyer representing Britney Spears in her child custody battle told a court that the singer’s ex-husband should pay his own legal fees. Lawyer Stacy Phillips told a court commissioner that Kevin Federline recently tipped a waiter $2,000 on a $365 check, showing his ability to pay, the Associated…

Mar 11, 2008 1:54 PM CDT

Fla. Lawyer Willie Gary Wins Contempt Battle in Child Support Dispute

The Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that Florida trial lawyer Willie Gary isn’t responsible for $462,000 in back child support and he can’t be held in contempt for failing to pay it. At issue was whether Gary had agreed to pay $14,000 a month in support for both—or each—of two…

Mar 11, 2008 12:40 PM CDT

Hollywood Agog Over Names to be Named in Private Investigator’s Trial

As a so-called private investigator to the stars is about to go to trial tomorrow for allegedly using illegal tactics to gain evidence for his clients, Hollywood is reportedly agog over the names that are being named as possible witnesses. The trial is also expected to provide further details of…

Mar 4, 2008 5:57 PM CST

Improper Faxed Notice Dooms Appeal of Pro Se Mom

A mother who says she was unable to contest the termination of her parental rights because she was involuntarily hospitalized has had her appeal tossed because she faxed rather than mailed her notice of appeal. The mother faxed the document 13 days after the final entry of judgment, one day…

Feb 22, 2008 1:27 PM CST

Court Accepts ERISA Case Involving Pension Rights After Divorce

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide the validity of a divorcing spouse’s waiver of a right to the other’s pension benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, SCOTUSblog reports. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled (PDF) in the case, Kennedy v. Plan…

Feb 19, 2008 6:04 PM CST