Parents’ & Grandparents’ Rights; Fundamental and Protected
In Minnesota, and the United States, parents have a fundamental and protected right to make decisions about their children’s care and custody. This right is recognized by the United States…
Poor Conduct in a Divorce: Don’t be “Hoisted by Your Own Petard”
“Hoist with his own petard” is a phrase from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, referring to a bomb maker being harmed by his own creation. Though Minnesota divorces are not intended to end…
Posting Your Kid’s Images on Social Media
Recently, the Minnesota Court of Appeals was asked to consider whether a Family Court judge can prohibit a parent from featuring or mentioning his children in YouTube videos and remove…
KEVIN GARNETT AND CHILD SUPPORT
Whenever a celebrity gets a divorce, the media likes to focus on the dollar amounts as a way to sensationalize the story. When Tiger Woods divorced, for example, the headlines…
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,…
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,…
WHEN SCIENCE IS NOT ENOUGH; MAKING THE CASE FOR PATERNITY IN MINNESOTA
If you’ve ever wondered how a father can ‘prove’ he is dad, you wouldn’t be wrong in assuming that a genetic test, or a ‘paternity test’ is the way to…
THE COST OF INACTION – CHILD CUSTODY MODIFICATION BY ACQUIESCENCE
Remember when our parents warned us not to make goofy faces lest they get stuck that way? Sadly, this kind of, sort of, happened recently when a parent failed to…
Can I Afford To Be Divorced in Minnesota?
What will I do if I can’t rely on my spouse’s earnings to meet my living expenses? Good question; and one that any spouse who relies on the earnings of…