Saturday, December 25, 2010

Etheridge's ex files for full custody of kids

LOS ANGELES — Melissa Etheridge's former domestic partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels, has filed for full custody of the couple's two children, Access Hollywood has confirmed. According to documents filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court earlier this week, Michaels is seeking full legal and physical custody of their twins ? son Miller and daughter Johnnie, who she gave birth to in 2006. She is...

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Monday, December 20, 2010

Divorce in Muscogee County, Georgia

Every divorce case in Muscogee County, Georgia must go through some kind of court proceeding. Even if the spouses agree about how to divide their property and handle custody, visitation, and support issues, a judge will still have to allow the divorce. In many states, divorce cases, contested and no-fault are dealt by a special court usually known as "family court,? "domestic relations court,? or ?divorce court.? These courts generally deal with only family-related lawsuits like divorce, child custody and support, and sometimes, adoption. Divorce in Muscogee County, Georgia is stressful for all concerned parties. When there are children from the marriage, the stakes are higher. Divorce in Muscogee County, Georgia has tax consequences. If you are granted spousal support, you have to report it as taxable income. If you are giving spousal support, you can deduct it. If you receive spousal support, you must plan for the likely tax consequences of the income. Unlike an employer, your former spouse will not withhold any taxes from your support payment. You should deduct spousal support payments on your income tax return, but not child support or property distributions. You can, however, make spousal support payments nontaxable and nondeductible if goes both ways and both spouses agree by agreeing so in your marital settlement agreement. You should consider doing this if the spouse receiving support is in a higher tax bracket than the paying spouse or if the giving spouse doesn"t need the tax deduction and the recipient spouse doesn"t want to report the income.

Columbus GA divorce lawyer & Georgia child custody attorney

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

26 yr old son with Bipolar Disorder

He lives with me. Refuses to get on medication. Works nights, drinks & smokes weed before every work shift. Drives drunk and high. Sleeps all day due

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Saturday, December 11, 2010

DuPage and Kane County Divorce: Court Orders

Taking Daughter To Church May Violate Court Order
Dad Says Half-Jewish Child Should Be Exposed To Christianity, Too
by Chicago Tribune Reporter Mike Puccinell at http://bit.ly/8CLYdi

A compelling story about a Father and his child has appeared in Illinois media this week. The story concerns a Christian Dad who is in a high conflict divorce and custody case with his Jewish wife.

"I have been ordered by a judge not to expose my daughter to anything non-Judaism," Joseph Reyes said. "But I am taking her to hear the teachings of perhaps the most prominent Jewish Rabbi in the history of this great planet of ours. I can't think of anything more Jewish than that."

Last month, Judge Edward Jordan issued a temporary restraining order specifically barring Reyes from exposing his daughter to any religion other than Judaism.It happened after Reyes had his daughter baptized without first consulting his estranged wife.

There is a lesson here to be learned, but the lesson has little to do with comparative religious traditions, or the best interest of a child with respect to her religious training. The lesson has to do with the nature of court orders, and why managing adverse court orders is a very important consideration in divorce and custody cases.

Many litigants do not like certain court orders. Some Dads are ordered to pay child support that is excessive, especially after a father has an adverse job change. Some parenting orders may no longer meet the best interests of children. If you have in place a court order that is inappropriate, is the answer to willfully violate it, in order to prove a point? If a parent is paying too much statutory child support based on their income, is it permissible to simply start paying less? The answer, of course, is no.

Your attorney can meet with you and plan a strategy to modify any court order that is legally inappropriate to your current circumstances. Why use "self help," and risk the sanctions of the court, and why put yourself in a position, as I believe Mr. Reyes is about to do, to test the limits of the judge's patience and resolve? Mr. Reyes appears willing to place himself in contempt of the court, which may place him in the Cook County lockup for civil contempt.

Mr. Reyes should respectfully request that the last court order be modified to allow him to attend his place of worship of choice with his daughter. If you have a court order that is adversely affecting you, contact an attorney today, and go about seeking change and justice the right way.

Jail is no place for a good and loving Dad to sit.


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Monday, December 6, 2010

Do You Know How to Request Back Child Support Payments?

More and more single parents are struggling because of insufficient--or altogether unpaid--child support payments. ?On the flip side, there are plenty of parents who owe back child support but legitimately don't have the money to pay what they owe, due to recent job losses and wage reductions. ?Both of these issues are complex problems that our legal issues contributing writer, Debrina Washington...

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Friday, December 3, 2010

Divorce is costly. The settlement need not be.

Boston – A new wave of legislation aimed at rectifying perceived injustices in divorce cases is rolling into state legislatures. For example, in Massachusetts, a controversial "father"s rights? bill would create a presumption of joint child custody, and proposed changes to alimony statutes would limit the duration of spousal support. All of these proposals will probably face stiff opposition. Whatever the outcome of these legislative battles, however, three underlying problems will remain ? and it is these problems, and not the adjustments that might be needed in alimony or custody statutes, that make divorce a disaster for many families. Three underlying problemsFirst, the cost of...

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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Alimony in Muscogee County, Georgia

Alimony may be awarded to a spouse if that spouse is not guilty of desertion or adultery. When deciding alimony, the judge will look into marital conduct, participation each party had to the marital estate; the length of the marriage; the future financial resources of each party; the age and health of each party; the future earning potential of each spouse; the net worth of each party"s separate property; the standard of living sustained during the marriage; and rehabilitative time one spouse may need to gain employment. Alimony in Muscogee County, Georgia is either "rehabilitative" or "permanent". Alimony is money for support awarded to a spouse by the other party. Alimony may be for a short or long time. Usually alimony is given by the judge only when a long term marriage is dissolved. The other party should be able to pay alimony if the judge is to grant alimony to the other party. Alimony may also be given short-term before a final divorce decree is given. Alimony, also known as ?spousal support" or "maintenance," is designed to help a lower-earning spouse make it through the divorce and to start a new single life. Depending on the length of the marriage and the degree to which one spouse was financially dependent on the other, support can last for a long time.

Columbus GA divorce lawyer & Georgia child custody attorney

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