On January 19, 2016, Governor Christie signed S-1046/A-2721 into law. The effective date of the new law is February 1, 2017, and it applies to all NJ child support orders (i.e., child support orders issued prior to, on, or...
Emancipation of a Child and Child Support
Feb 23, 2016
Emancipation of a child terminates a parent’s child support obligation for that child. An emancipated child is one who has obtained an independent status of his or her own and has moved beyond the scope of the...
Harassment Can Lead to a Final Restraining Order
Feb 22, 2016
Domestic Violence is a serious issue that is prevalent in today’s society. Harassment is a type of domestic violence. Harassment is defined to include when a person, acting with the purpose to harass another,...
Alimony and child support duties can always be subject to review and modification if the spouse seeking the modification can show changed circumstances. The party seeking a decrease of his or her obligations must...
Mother Didn’t Pay Child Support to Father, So Equity Dictates She Can’t Receive Money In Return
Feb 02, 2016
In McDonough v. Rosario, a couple divorced in 2005 after a 13 year marriage. They had two children, both of whom lived with the mother at the time. When the mother remarried, the youngest child moved in with...
Mother Denies She Posed Harm To Her 4 Children
Feb 01, 2016
A trial court found that a mother had abused or neglected her four children. N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.21(c) defines an “abused or neglected child” as one who is below the age of 18 whose physical, mental and...
Parties who enter into an agreement regarding alimony or child support may seek judicial review or modification of such based upon a showing of “changed circumstances.” The party seeking to reduce an alimony or...
A woman filed for divorce in New Jersey in July of 2012. The trial court dismissed her complaint because she was not a bona fide residence of New Jersey for one year before she filed her complaint and alternatively...
Cohabitation and the New Alimony Statute
Jan 23, 2016
In 2014, the Legislature extensively revised the alimony statute, N.J.S.A. 2A:3-23. In pertinent part, the law now provides that “[a]limony may be suspended or terminated if the payee cohabits with another...
According to the Grandparent Visitation Statute, N.J.S.A. 9:2-7.1, a grandparent or sibling of a child may file an application to obtain visitation with the child and it is their burden to prove by a preponderance of the...
Just Because Son Doesn’t Talk to Dad, That Doesn’t Mean Dad is Off the Hook for College Expenses
Jan 06, 2016
An estranged parent is not necessarily exempt from contributing towards the costs of his or her child’s college education. In Laurel v. Dixon, the recently-estranged father of a 21-year-old college student wished...
Although Separated, a Couple Remained Legally Married Until Divorce, and the Husband Paid for It
Jan 05, 2016
Three kids and thirteen years later, a couple who got married in 1991 separated in 2004. However, the wife did not file her complaint for divorce until 2012, and the Manahan v. Manahan divorce was finalized in...
Dad Who Racked Up Child Support Over Payments Allowed to Pay Less Until His Credit is Depleted
Dec 31, 2015
Among many issues brought to the court’s attention after a couple’s 2008 divorce was the father’s child support obligation. But unlike many other former couples’ child support issues, this one in Mistretta...
The New Jersey Appellate Division recently upheld a trial judge’s decision in Watley v. Watley. A 50-year-old man married a 19-year-old woman in 1998 after meeting her in the Philippines. The man did not...
The FDA is concerned about the serious consequences that inaccurate medical tests have had on tens of thousands of patients. In some instances, these unreliable tests have prompted unnecessary treatments. In...
A technician dissected a medical scope manufactured by Olympus after 22 patients in a Netherlands hospital became sick from its use, the Los Angeles Times reported. Olympus holds 85 percent of the U.S....
In the midst of a contentious divorce in D.J. v. S.J., a wife obtained a final restraining order (FRO) against her soon-to-be ex-husband after he allegedly assaulted her. During their divorce, the parties’ real...
FDA Trying To Ban Minors From Using Tanning Beds
Dec 28, 2015
The FDA is trying to protect individuals under age 18 from dangerous skin damage. A 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 1.6 million teenagers per year use indoor tanning. It seems that teenagers do...
Aunt Did Not Neglect or Abuse Her Nephew by Failing to Check Him into Mental Health Clinic
Dec 23, 2015
Last week, the New Jersey Appellate Division reversed the trial court’s ruling in New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency v. K.J. that the aunt and legal guardian of an emotionally disturbed...
Crib Bumpers Are Killing Babies
Dec 23, 2015
Crib bumpers, a padding that goes in a baby’s crib, are thought to protect a baby from bumping his/her head against the crib rails. But the risk of a bruise on the baby’s head without the padding is nothing compared...
