Category Archives: Custody
Mother Fails to Provide Evidence of Enhancement in Relocation Bid
A recent bid before the Appellate Division, Second District failed when a mother was unable to provide important information to support her desired relocation after a divorce. In Christy v. Christy, appellant Lisa Christy sought relief from a family court decision that prohibited her from carrying out a proposed relocation with the children of her… Read More »
What to Do When Your Custody Plan No Longer Works
To foster stability for children, courts favor custody plans that are designed to be fairly permanent. But the law also recognizes that things change. Circumstances beyond the control of the parents can render a plan unworkable. In the worst cases, a vindictive parent actively undermines the child custody plan, forcing the other parent to seek… Read More »
Interstate Enforcement of Child Custody Determinations
As our society has become increasingly mobile, multistate child custody disputes have become more common. Fortunately, the states have adopted a uniform method for determining which state has jurisdiction over a child custody dispute. They also have agreed to honor custody determinations made by the courts of other states. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and… Read More »
How Does the Child’s Preference Affect Custody Proceedings?
When parents divorce, asking children to choose which parent they want to live with can be traumatic for all involved. In some cases, however, children are sufficiently mature to express a reasoned preference. In such cases, the child’s preference can be an important factor in shaping the custody arrangement. New York courts determine child custody… Read More »
Murdoch Divorce: The Right Representation
Regardless of income, getting the right attorney is important during a divorce proceeding. For any marriage, especially those with children, satisfying agreements made or court decisions obtained are largely due to the skill and understanding of legal counsel. In the divorce matter of Rupert Murdoch, legal skill may make all the difference. In June of… Read More »
Custody Arrangements: Splitting Up the Kids
As the largest family law practice in Long Island, we fight for the best interests of our clients and their children, working to create custody arrangements that fit the circumstances of each family situation. While parents sometimes agree to sole or joint custody, they less often agree to split up their children, but a recent… Read More »
The Custody Tale of Baby Veronica
The biological parents of Veronica, Christy Maldonado and Dusten Brown, were unwed when Veronica was conceived and they soon split as a couple. Prior to Veronica’s birth, Brown terminated his parental rights in writing and provided no support to Maldonado or her unborn child. Seeking a good family environment for her child, Maldonado chose Matt… Read More »
Understanding Your Rights: Joint Legal Custody
In a divorce involving children, parenting issues can stir a bitter custody battle. Our firm has litigated and won thousands of custody matters for our clients, and we know the importance of gaining, exercising and understanding parenting rights. In New York, two fundamental types of custody must be agreed upon by parents or decided by… Read More »
The Most Recent Development to Aid Settlement: Rotating Spheres of Influence
Rotating spheres of influence are usually done when there is joint decision making but the parents can’t decide equally on all decisions, because one parent has specific specialty or knowledge or interest in an area of decisions. For example, since the commencement of a divorce, one party has a specific religious zeal or passion that… Read More »
Courts Bending Over Backwards To Help Parties Settle Custody And To Avoid Making Real Decisions
Judges have stated, privately, that when it comes to custody disputes it is often difficult for them to really make decisions since they do not “live with the parties.” Their decisions are based on the testimony of the parties; character witnesses; witnesses that have been present during certain occurrences; together with opinions of experts, the… Read More »