Reality often seems to take a walk during the heat of a bitter custody battle. In January, a prominent neurosurgeon tried to take a walk with a court report concerning his children—and was arrested. Dr. Eric Braverman is a well-known Manhattan surgeon, radio personality and author of anti-aging books. Wisely or not, Dr. Braverman is representing himself in a custody…
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 previous marriage. In New York,…
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 relief from the court. After…
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 based on a number of…
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 Enforcement Act (UCCJEA) has been…
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 this year, 82-year-old billionaire Rupert…
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 celebrity custody battle ended just…
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 and Melanie Capobianco to adopt…
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 the court before a divorce…
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 party may request that all…