In today’s changing society, many couples choose not to get married. The question arises, however, whether these partners can receive support from one another during their relationship, or after their relationship...
How Can the Judge Impute Income When I’m Working?
Mar 03, 2015
When it comes to determining child support or alimony, if a party is not earning up to their full potential, income will often be imputed to that party. The imputation of income often makes parties nervous because their...
Child Support Can’t Be Bargained Away
Mar 03, 2015
Child support is often a contentious issue in any matrimonial case involving children. Child support is the obligation of parents to provide for their children financially. The New Jersey Appellate...
When Does Cohabitation Begin for Alimony Purposes?
Feb 26, 2015
We have previously blogged about changes to the New Jersey alimony statute last fall. Courts are now beginning to see the effects of that amendment in practice. For instance, in the recent...
Grandparents’ Custody Rights
Feb 26, 2015
In a modern age with various types of families, grandparents often raise their grandchildren. In some situations, parents have little interaction with their children and the grandparents become the primary...
Surrogate Responsible for Child Support
Feb 20, 2015
Sherri Shepherd, former co-host of the “The View,” and her husband, Lamar Sally, entered into a surrogacy agreement in order to have a child. The child was conceived using Sally’s sperm and the egg of a...
Medical Marijuana and Child Custody
Feb 20, 2015
It is well-established that one parent’s substance abuse can affect his or her child custody case. Since medical marijuana, and marijuana more generally, has become legal in many states, however, it is uncertain how...
Man Gets Scammed into Paying Child Support
Feb 20, 2015
Recent reports of a child support scam in Minneapolis would likely cause outrage among most men. Reports indicate that T.K. met Jhona Vandemore on an online dating website and eventually met in person. A...
We have previously blogged about relocation when parents are divorced and share custody of their children. In the recent unpublished New Jersey Appellate Court case, Schwager v. Schwager, the...
Let’s Dissolve and Divide
Feb 20, 2015
Huffington Post recently posted a throwback photo—a picture of a couple in 1999 dividing their Beanie Babies on the floor of a courtroom as part of their divorce. The Las Vegas couple was ordered to divide their...
E-Cigarette Health Concerns
Feb 11, 2015
E-cigarettes and their safety is a topic that is currently being hotly debated. California’s top health official recently released plans for a public awareness campaign advertising the dangers of e-cigarettes. ...
A federal judge in New Jersey recently ruled that a bank owes a duty of care to a potential homebuyer who is viewing a foreclosure owned by the bank. The prospective buyer was touring the home when she slipped on broken...
Reports On Drug Side Effects Are Incomplete
Feb 11, 2015
A nonprofit group, The Institute for Safe Medication Practices, recently conducted a study on the effectiveness and accuracy of reports made to the Food and Drug Administration regarding side effects of various drugs. ...
Walmart Heiress’ Ex Wants $400k Per Month in Support
Feb 11, 2015
Walmart Heiress, Paige Laurie, filed for divorce from her husband almost one year ago. Recently, however, as the Huffington Post reported, Laurie’s husband, Patrick Bode Dubbert, has asked that Laurie pay him a...
Polygamist Divorces One Wife and Marries Another
Feb 09, 2015
TMZ reported about a recent celebrity divorce, which it dubbed “friendly.” Kody Brown, star of TLC’s “Sister Wives,” recently divorced his first wife so that he could marry his newest wife. ...
Supreme Court to Hear Same-Sex Marriage Case
Feb 09, 2015
A few weeks ago, the Associated Press reported that the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would finally hear a case on the issue of whether or not same-sex marriage should be legal across the country. The...
When Does My Child Become Emancipated?
Feb 09, 2015
In many states, a parent’s obligation to pay child support ends when the child reaches the age of majority, which is the age of 18 in most states. In New Jersey, however, child support does not automatically...
New Surgeon General Calls For E’Cigarette Regulation
Feb 05, 2015
We have previously blogged about the dangers associated with e-cigarettes, and specifically, about various calls for the regulation of e-cigarettes. Recently, the newly confirmed surgeon general stated during...
Paul M. da Costa has been chosen to receive the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys’ (NAOPIA) 2015 Top 10 Under 40 Attorney Award for the State of New Jersey. The NAOPIA selects its award recipients though a...
Shooting Range Divorce Party
Feb 03, 2015
We have previously blogged about divorce parties (i.e., celebrations of a marriage ending). A new type of divorce party, however, has sprung up in Las Vegas. Specifically, ABC News...