In the midst of our ongoing quest for guidance as to how and when to apply the 2014 cohabitation statute, comes the Appellate Division’s recent unpublished (not precedential) decision in J.S. v. J.M. While the decision does not reveal much in the way of noteworthy substance beyond what we have already seen in other post-statute
Appellate Division Denies Cohabitation Claim Under Alimony Statute
While we await guidance from the Appellate Division on how to interpret that portion of the amended alimony statute’s cohabitation provision, N.J.S.A. 2A:32-23n, indicating that alimony may be “suspended or terminated” in the event of a payee former spouse’s cohabitation, and whether the pre-statute “economic benefits” test remains alive and well, we are seeing newer
Appellate Division Confirms that Alimony Cannot be Judicially Determined with a Formula
One of the most common questions posed by clients is – how is alimony determined? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to that question, and it is often dependent upon the facts and circumstances of a given matter. The law does not provide for a formula, even in the final version of the amended alimony
Settling Your Case Comes With Great Power and Great Responsibility
Amicably settling your divorce matter is almost always better than taking your chances at a trial before a trial judge who knows almost nothing about your life. Not only can settling save you substantial time and expense as compared to continued litigation, but also it provides you with the opportunity to end the case on
Supreme Court of New Jersey Addresses Equitable Claims and Remedies (while reinforcing a potential palimony loophole through the proverbial “black hole”)
What rights do people have to an equitable distribution of assets stemming from a period prior to the marriage itself? If there is no right to equitable distribution under those circumstances, then what rights exist and what remedies can be implemented to protect those rights? In Thieme v. Aucoin-Thieme, a post-Judgment dispute involving several
A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT RETAINING YOUR DIVORCE LAWYER
As a matrimonial litigant, you never want to feel that your lawyer does not know how best to take you through the divorce or post-divorce process. After spending substantial sums of money on an advocate to aid you through a difficult and emotional process, let’s just say that “the blind leading the blind” is not
A Domestic Violence Final Restraining Order Cannot Be Entered In To By Consent
On December 5, 2016, an extremely interesting reported (precedential) opinion was released by the Appellate Division in the matter of J.S. v. D.S. The opinion was remarkable for two reasons, one procedural and one substantive. On the procedural side, what was interesting was that the Appellate Division proceeded to decide the case even though the
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied – How the Systemic Delay in Having Matters Adjudicated Causes Litigant’s to Lack Confidence in the Judicial System and Makes Cases Harder to Resolve
“Justice delayed is justice denied.” I am sure that many have heard this old legal maxim. Though the original source is unclear, what is not unclear is that it essentially means that when a legal remedy is available, but not provided in a timely fashion, it is like having no remedy, at all.
When I
Appellate Division Weighs In On Savings as a Component of an Initial Alimony Award
Every family uses its money in different ways. Some families spend every cent they have on everything imaginable, others save every last possible cent for the proverbial “rainy day”, and many families fall somewhere in between. Once a marriage comes to an end, however, will both spouses be able to continue spending or saving in
All Apologies and the Distribution of a Famous Guitar
Perhaps Kurt Cobain knew when writing the song “All Apologies” that one day his daughter would be embroiled in a nasty divorce battle. While the lyrics, “Married, Buried, Married, Buried”, may not sound uplifting, they are undeniably classic Nirvana. Fans of the band would largely agree that the most well known live performance of the