Family Law

Should Parents Be Able to Disinherit Minor Children?

Everyone agrees that Anthony “Corky” Sliwkowski loved his daughters. Yet when the Rhode Island dentist died in 2004, it turned out that he had disinherited the girls, then aged 11 and 13, and a grown son, cutting them all out of his $3 million estate. Their mother sued, hoping to…

Nov 12, 2007 11:57 PM CST

Death Detective Extraordinaire Aids South Florida Researchers

Those who need details about a little-known death long ago in or around Miami, Florida, may be some of the luckiest information-seekers in the country. A local volunteer has compiled an extraordinary 4,000-page record of virtually all deaths listed in the local newspapers for more than a century. And, as…

Nov 12, 2007 6:25 PM CST

Not Only Paul McCartney But Legal Counsel Divorcing Heather Mills

Only a few weeks ago, it looked like Paul McCartney’s divorce was going to end with an eye-popping agreed $102 million settlement with his soon-to-be ex-wife, Heather Mills. But now it is almost certain to go to trial, as the almost-settled case erodes into acrimony, reports the London Times. The…

Nov 9, 2007 4:29 PM CST

Father Loses Appeal Dubbed ‘Roe v. Wade for Men’

A Michigan father who contended he should have the right to decide whether to pay child support has lost his appeal. Men’s rights groups had dubbed the lawsuit a ”Roe v. Wade for men,” drawing objections from women’s rights groups, the Associated Press reports. Matthew Dubay said his ex-girlfriend had…

Nov 7, 2007 1:35 PM CST

Spurned Dad Files Suit for Alienation of Affection

A Canadian millionaire who contends the mother of his children turned his children against him has sued her for alienation of affection. Moses Segal contends in the New Jersey lawsuit that his former common-law wife, Cynthia Lynch, cut off all contact between him and his two children, the New Jersey…

Nov 6, 2007 2:22 PM CST

It’s Game On For Family Lawyers

Web Extra: Clips from Earthquake in Zipland

Nov 1, 2007 8:08 PM CDT

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