Monthly Archives: July 2014

Confidentiality During Divorce: Who Knows?

For people concerned about privacy during divorce, knowing the safeguards and smart steps to protect your confidentiality are important. Divorce used to be considered dirty laundry but is now commonplace. Almost everybody knows someone with a divorce story to tell. The question is, who do you want to know your divorce story? In New York,… Read More »

Did Porn Cause Your Divorce?

Does viewing porn affect attitudes toward extramarital affairs?  A recent study says yes. Using the General Social Survey (GSS), an ongoing survey that measures societal attitudes, researchers looked at data provided by more than 500 married adults during the years 2006 and 2008. The study explored how viewing pornography might affect future attitudes toward extramarital… Read More »

Court Affirms Same-Sex Spouses as Parents

The Monroe County Supreme Court recently affirmed same-sex spouses are both parents to a child born during their marriage. The state of New York, when appropriate, seeks to legitimatize the parenthood of two people who are parents to a child of their marriage. In this case, the birth mother of a child born into a… Read More »

New York State Court Ruling: “OK to Spank Your Kids”

Last Wednesday, the state Appellate Division found that a father’s spanking of his son “was a reasonable use of force.” The court overruled Suffolk County Family Court’s determination that the father had abused his son “by inflicting excessive corporal punishment.” NY Family Court defines an abused child as one whose parent or other person legally… Read More »

Do Sperm Donors Have Parental Rights?

Known as the heartthrob of the 1987 vampire flick Lost Boys, actor Jason Patric wants to be known as a dad to a child named Gus. Danielle Schreiber and Jason Patric were romantically involved for over a decade. Their on-again, off-again relationship included a period where they attempted to become pregnant but did not succeed…. Read More »

The Great Mommy War

Are your romantic problems now your math problems? For women who are married and are marrying men with an ex-wife, they will be affected by the alimony situation that came out of his first marriage. Belinda Luscombe’s article in TIME magazine highlights the struggle between first wives and second wives. 1 The TIME magazine article… Read More »

“I’m Going to Kill You” & the Other Horrible Things Your Spouse is Allowed to Say to You

On May 13th, the Court of Appeals of New York ruled that the Penal Law 240.30(1)(a) statute for Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree is “unconstitutionally vague and overbroad”.1 This statute focuses on someone’s actions which have intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm another person. The Court looked to People v. Dietze where the… Read More »

When Pet Custody is an Issue

Many couples and families own beloved pets. The ties that bind humans to animals sometimes outlast those of human relationships. When that happens, sparks fly when one spouse decides Fido is leaving with him or her. In a recent survey, the American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), reported more than a quarter of its members… Read More »

Walk Like a Man: Frankie Valli Wins in Divorce Proceedings

A recent legal win by Frankie Valli reveals the need to fight long and hard for financial fairness during divorce. In 2003, legendary singer and frontman of the vocal group the Four Seasons, Frankie Valli purchased a $3.75 million insurance policy naming his wife of 27 years, Randy Valli, as owner and beneficiary of the… Read More »

New Study Delves into Divorce Statistics

As Baby Boomers continue to divorce at record rates, a new study indicates the marriage rate for younger married couples is also unstable. In 2013, researchers from Bowling Green State University published a paper revealing the divorce rate for older Americans is skyrocketing. In May of this year, a different study fine tunes figures by… Read More »