Physical Discipline or Domestic Abuse?
I hope this is not a distinction we need to spend a lot of time worrying about; either way someone’s getting hit, and unless we’re talking about contact sports or…
ENFORCING SPOUSAL MAINTENANCE AND CHILD SUPPORT FROM ANOTHER STATE
Minnesota courts recognize that not all Minnesota divorced residents became divorced by a Minnesota court. Many people who move to this State, became divorced by the courts of another State,…
Watch Tim Simonson Speak To Kare 11 News About Privacy Rights in Divorce Matters
Recently, the divorce file of a high profile public servant, Representative Keith Ellison, brought to attention the issue of divorce files in family court. The question raised was whether a…
DETERMINING CHILD CUSTODY IN MINNESOTA COURTS WHERE IS HOME?
If you want a court to help you figure what right(s) you might have to raise your child, you want to be sure you’re asking the right court, and in…
Al Pacino & Spousal Maintenance in a Minnesota Divorce
What does a Court need to consider when figuring out whether to award spousal maintenance (formerly known as ‘alimony’) in a Minnesota divorce? And what information should you bring up…
A Lesson from Child Support Court: “Pull No Punches”
Minnesota Child Support Law mandates that child support is determined primarily by the parents’ incomes. Because income is so important to a court when figuring out a child support obligation,…
THE NEW CHILD SUPPORT LAW; FROM “CLIFFS” TO “BUCKETS”
Beginning August 1st, a change to the Minnesota child support law takes effect which should come to the relief of many parents who are paying too much child support under…
Why Aren’t Pre-nups Always Enforced?
Minnesota law allows couples, before marriage, to enter in to a contract promising to leave each other’s stuff alone in the event of a divorce. This contact, dubbed an ‘anternuptial…
What is a Putative Spouse, Anyway?
What happens when a man and woman live together as if husband and wife, perhaps even believing in good faith that they are husband and wife, but in reality they…
KEEPING TRACK OF NON-MARITAL PROPERTY IN A DIVORCE
If I’m getting a divorce and my house (that I owned before marriage) tripled in value during my marriage, does my spouse get to share in that increased value?? What…