NBC News anchor Brian Williams’ purported false memories of being shot down in a helicopter with his news crew more than a decade ago in Iraq is being spoken of everywhere in American news this week. Williams, to the shock of many, did not respond to the revelation that his…
New Jersey Divorce and Family Lawyer Blog
Pillow Talk — New Limits on Confidentiality
Most people are aware that communications between a lawyer and client are generally considered to be confidential or “privileged” and may not be disclosed to anyone without their consent. The same is true in regards to discussions between a physician or psychologist and his/her patient. However, most people are not…
Judiciary Allows Same Sex Couples to Dissolve Civil Unions on No-Fault Grounds
The Appellate Division this past week approved another decision by family court judge, Hon. Lawrence R. Jones, J.S.C., this time in the matter of Groh-v-Groh, which was decided back in March, 2014. The parties in this case are a same sex couple who entered into a civil union in 2008,…
Appellate Division Affirms Decision to Deny Modification of Joint Legal Custody Arrangement Despite Noncustodial Parent’s Relocation Out of Country
On January 12th 2015, the Appellate Division published its opinion in the case of Costa v. Costa. In Costa, the parties were married in 1994 and divorced in 2006. They had two children together, one being born in 1997 and the other in 2000. By way of settlement agreement entered into…
Custody Dispute Crackdown…
The Appellate Division recently handed down a clear and unambiguous message to triall courts and litigators alike regarding custody disputes and how they should be handled procedurally, regardless of whether the case is pre- or post-judgment. The case, entitled D.A. v. R.C., involved the biological parents of a fourteen (14) year…
More on Calculating Child Support Obligations in Multiple Families
As the landscape of the “traditional family” continues to evolve, children are being born into multiple families requiring innovation in calculating child support obligations on behalf of children in these families. In a previous blog entitled “Calculating Child Support for Multiple Families”, we outlined the procedure for properly calculating child…
Divorce Means Creation of New Holiday Traditions
We all look forward to the holiday season. Traditions developed around holidays build a collective family memory that binds us together uniquely and permanently. We bring the traditions we learn in our childhoods into our marriages and incorporate them with our spouse’s traditions into a new hybrid tradition. We do…
Do Domestic Violence Victims Need Protection Under a Federal Civil Rights Statute?
Several blog posts have been written here by my colleagues with regard to the subject of domestic violence and the application of New Jersey’s Prevention of Domestic Violence Act to protect victims of domestic violence in New Jersey. There are, however, other laws that attempt to protect victims of domestic…
BILLIONS IN THE BALANCE: ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE
Recently a divorce case made the news with screaming headlines such as “Ex-wife of US Oil Baron to appeal $1 Billion Divorce Award”. Yes, that was billion with a “B” . Intrigued, I was drawn to read how someone could not only receive such an award, but more importantly, on…
THE WAR OF THE ROVERS: Pet Custody Cases in New Jersey
Many in today’s society would view the court’s treatment of dogs and other pets as merely property to be equitably distributed in the breakup of relationship as antiquated, given the increasing role that pets are play in today’s society. A common scenario playing out in relationships across the Garden State today…