Family Law

Ohio Dowry Ruling is Appealed; Important Muslim Marriage Issue

In a case that has attracted national interest, an Ohio woman is appealing a court ruling that her ex-husband doesn’t have to pay the dowry she is guaranteed in her Muslim marriage contract. Although courts in other states reportedly have enforced similar religious marriage contracts, the judge in Raghad Alwattar’s…

Nov 1, 2007 4:21 PM CDT

PI Lawyer’s $28K Monthly Child Support Reinstated

Florida plaintiffs attorney Willie Gary has lost an appeal that sought to cut the $28,000 in monthly child support payments he must make to support his twins. The Georgia Court of Appeals vacated a judge’s decision to reduce the amount to $5,000 a month, according to the Fulton County Daily…

Oct 31, 2007 12:56 PM CDT

Divorce Fair: From DNA to Dating Service

Camera-shy individuals apparently were daunted by a swarm of journalists on day one of what was billed as the world’s first-ever divorce fair on Saturday. But despite a dearth of participants the Vienna, Austria, event was nonetheless an eye-opening example of how vendors, including lawyers, could be brought face-to-face with…

Oct 29, 2007 5:04 PM CDT

Sperm Donor Loses Suit for Parental Rights

A sperm donor who wants a relationship with his children has failed to overturn a Kansas law that bars parental rights absent a written agreement. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled the law did not violate state or federal constitutional due process and equal protection provisions, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports. Daryl…

Oct 29, 2007 2:24 PM CDT

Divorce Fair Offers Legal Services and More

Billed as the world’s first divorce fair, a two-day event in Austria this weekend will offer participants one-stop shopping for a vast array of services targeted to spouses in an unhappy marriage. In addition to retaining a matrimonial lawyer, attendees can hire a private detective to spy on an erring…

Oct 26, 2007 4:50 PM CDT

Judge Scolds Lawyer Litigant for ‘Vitriolic and Venomous Allegations’

A New York family court judge has refused to modify a visitation agreement and scolded the feuding parents, one of whom is a lawyer. Judge Conrad Singer of Nassau County said the parents had appeared before three different judges in three years to air their disputes, the New York Law…

Oct 24, 2007 11:14 AM CDT

School Board Member Gives Up Adopted Kid

It isn’t just ordinary parents who sometimes find themselves unable to cope with the extreme demands placed on them by a troubled, potentially violent child. A member of the Pinellas County School Board, near St. Petersburg, Florida, told attendees at a recent state legislative committee hearing that she is going…

Oct 23, 2007 10:28 PM CDT

Courts Disagree on Dowry Enforceability

Although one Muslim man’s marriage contract calls for a $25,000 dowry to be paid to his wife, he doesn’t have to pay her, now that they are divorced, because it is a religious agreement rather than an enforceable legal contract, an Ohio judge has ruled. The decision, the first on…

Oct 22, 2007 6:15 PM CDT

Panel: Convictions Disqualify Temp Judge

Unless it is over 10 years old, a criminal record disqualifies a lawyer from serving as a judge, even on a temporary basis, in Seattle. This decision by the King County District Court’s executive committee—as well as a new policy of conducting criminal background checks on all applicants for temporary…

Oct 17, 2007 7:33 PM CDT

Big Legal Bill for Anna Nicole Smith’s Baby

Adults who had a relationship to Anna Nicole Smith are still wrangling over a number of issues related to the deceased starlet’s estate. But they are seemingly entirely agreed on one thing: a bill of nearly $200,000 submitted by the court-appointed lawyer representing the interests of Smith’s baby daughter is…

Oct 16, 2007 5:27 PM CDT

Beveridge & Diamond Partner in Messy Divorce

The wife of environmental litigation partner John Guttmann of Beveridge & Diamond is claiming in divorce proceedings that her husband forged her signature on a 401(k) loan while a trustee for the retirement plan. “He took money out of our account without my consent,” the wife, Nancy Lasater, told Legal…

Oct 15, 2007 11:00 AM CDT

WA, Not Parents to Fund Child Mental Care?

In a ruling that could help struggling families, the Washington Supreme Court says the state must help some children who need mental health services even if their parents aren’t unfit. Ordinarily, parents must care for their children unless they abuse or neglect them. But after “Henry’s” parents paid some $200,000…

Oct 12, 2007 11:17 PM CDT

Record $102 M in McCartney Divorce?

A rumored $102 million settlement to be paid by Paul McCartney to end his five-year marriage to Heather Mills would be the largest ever in a contested divorce case in the British courts, which have been trending toward bigger American-style awards in recent years. The British press estimates the former…

Oct 11, 2007 3:16 PM CDT

New Vows for Dozens in PA Marriage Mess

A first-of-a-kind case in Pennsylvania has called the validity of an untold number of marriages into question, prompting many committed couples to resolve the issue by simply re-taking their vows even though it hasn’t yet been upheld on appeal. Those who don’t redo their original ceremony face troubling questions about…

Oct 10, 2007 11:15 PM CDT

Mom Supplied Pot to Keep Kids Off Street

Concerned about obvious risks when she found out her teenage children were using marijuana, Nicola Cooper called a family meeting. Then the self-described “liberal parent” decided to act to protect them from street drug-dealers by supplying them with pot herself. “Some people give their children alcohol and cigarettes at an…

Oct 10, 2007 5:58 PM CDT