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In the recent case of CHARARA v. YATIM, 09-P-1189 (Mass.App.Ct. 11-23-2010) the Court refused to recognize a custody determination from a Lebanese Court. A little background helps understand this case. Prior to the enactment of the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act...
A parent coordinator is a neutral third person who is appointed by the court to resolve custody disputes between parents who no longer live together or are divorced. Resolving disputes by a parent coordinator is less expensive than court proceedings and much faster....
I am frequently asked by clients about when a child gets to decide which parent they will live with. Often, parents inform me that they know that the child gets to decide at a particular age. However, there is no simple answer. There are many factors the court must...
Every parent should want to raise their children to lead happy, healthy lives as productive members of society. If possible, divorcing parents want their children to be free of the stress and strife caused by breakup of the family. Unfortunately, the holiday season...
It is rare when the United States Supreme Court hears a child support case. However, there is a case before the Supreme Court now involving such an issue. In the case of Turner v. Price, Docket No. 10-10, Turner was incarcerated for one year for non-payment of child...
There are advertisements for legal services such as do-it-yourself kits for divorce, wills, powers of attorney, bankruptcy, etc. These kits are usually sold by non-lawyers. People should not use these kits or services of this nature. Decisions in legal matters of this...
A recent case in Massachusetts addressed an issue that is frequently raised by parents who don’t want to pay child support and gave the same answer as always. In the case of ADOPTION OF MARIANO, 933 N.E.2d 677 (Mass.App.Ct. 2010) the father of a child wanted...
Currently, there are many families that don’t follow the traditional pattern of two parents with children. Frequently, children are living with friends and relatives instead of their parents. When this happens, the parties should go to court and get a guardianship so...
Massachusetts has universal health insurance. In a divorce, this means that the judge will look for ways to provide health insurance for the entire family at the lowest cost. If there are children of the marriage, the likely result is a family health insurance policy...
I received a question from a parent who has the child for about one-third of the time. The parent was asking about reducing child support based on the amount of parenting time spent. Child support in Massachusetts is controlled by the child support guidelines. These...
