I’m not usually one to place a lot of stock in celebrity gossip, but I couldn’t help but take notice of the fact that it has been rumored that Amber Heard’s monthly income is $10,000, yet she spends $44,000 a month on shopping, dining out and vacations. Her ask for spousal support: $50,000 per
Watch Out: Judges Start Getting Creative with Non-Complying Litigants and Obstructers
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a million times: “why don’t judges enforce their own orders or take hard lines against obstructers?” Many times, litigants feel powerless. Powerless to change anything; powerless to have courts take a firm position in favor of those aggrieved; and, powerless to be heard. Clients and attorneys alike
How New Jersey’s New Emancipation Statute May Affect Graduate School Contribution
With summer just beginning, many people have visions of swimming pools, beaches and family vacations. Others in New Jersey have visions of Sallie Mae, tuition bills and book fees.
After four years of what has become obligatory college contribution pursuant to the mandates of Newburgh v. Arrigo, many parents in the state are then
APPELLATE DIVISION ADDRESSES ENFORCEABILITY OF SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT AS TO COLLEGE IN NEW PUBLISHED DECISION
The Appellate Division’s newly published (precedential) decision in Avelino-Catabran v. Catabran provides another lesson to practitioners and litigants about the language used in settlement agreements and how such language, if unambiguous and without basis to modify, will likely be upheld in matrimonial matters. The specific dispute involved college payments for the parties’ older child and
The Forgotten Insurance: Life Insurance to Secure Alimony & Child Support
When we all think of insurance, we often think of medical insurance, car insurance and homeowner’s insurance as these seem to be the necessary and everyday types of insurance. Life insurance, which for some can be synonymous with high premiums, is one of the first costs to go when seeking to reduce your budget. I
Baby, Now You Really Can Drive My Car: Questions About Child Support & Driving Expenses, Answered
Ah, the moment you have been waiting for – nay, dreaming of – has arrived: your child has gotten his or her driver’s license! It was a long time coming, after 17 long, hard years of carpooling to school, arguing with the other parents about who is going to pick the kids up from their
NEW JERSEY EMANCIPATION STATUTE SIGNED BY GOVERNOR CHRISTIE
On Tuesday, January 19th, Governor Christie took a break from his busy presidential campaign to sign several new pieces of pending legislation, one of which was New Jersey’s pending emancipation statute that impacts upon child support and when/how it terminates. The new law, which takes effect 180 days after its signing, is applicable to all
Appellate Division Analyzes What It Means To “Abandon” A Child “By Willfully Forsaking” Him
Family law and estate law are undoubtedly two very personal areas of the law that often cross-over with one another depending on the issues at hand. In the Matter of the Estate of Michael D. Fisher, II presents us with one of the more tragic factual scenarios where the two worlds intertwine.
These are the
“Conscious Uncoupling”: An Ode to a Mediated Divorce
As a lover of all things Coldplay, I was sad to hear that lead singer Chris Martin and his wife of more than 10 years, Gwyneth Paltrow, were divorcing. Gwyneth Paltrow announced the separation on her website Goop.com and used the term “conscious uncoupling” to describe their approach to divorce. Although the term had been
Beware the Divorce Litigant Who is Watering the Money Tree With The Tears From Cries of Poverty
Often, cases are given nicknames, sometimes by judges and law clerks, and sometimes by the attorneys. Sometimes the nicknames come from who the people are – for instance, a case we had several years ago where both parties were models became the “model case” at the courthouse. Sometimes, the names come from something that one