In October 2010, the State Legislature in New York enacted guidelines for calculating temporary spousal maintenance. The purpose of this new statute is to provide consistency in spousal maintenance awards by judges. The temporary maintenance law provides a formula by which the parties to a matrimonial lawsuit can determine what, if any, spousal … [Read more...]
Why You Need A Living Will
End of life issues are difficult to face. Everyone that lives will eventually die. If you want to make your own choices as to how you're cared for, should you become gravely ill, it is important that you have a Living Will. A Living Will is an advance directive that explains to your loved ones and your physicians what type of life prolonging … [Read more...]
Eyewitness Identification Problems in Criminal Cases
Are eyewitnesses always accurate in identifying alleged criminals? Recent studies have shown that in more than 75,000 eyewitness identifications, approximately 33% of the identifications were incorrect. Mistaken identifications have put thousands of Americans behind bars. There have been approximately 250 DNA exonerations in recent years. 200 of … [Read more...]
Marston Gibson, A Man for all Seasons
Marston Gibson, Esq. is now the Chief Justice of the highest court in Barbados. I know Marston Gibson. Marston served with distinction as a Judicial Hearing Officer (JHO) in the courts of Nassau County. He conducted non jury trials in matrimonial and other civil cases. Marston did a terrific job. He was always dedicated and hard working. I wish him … [Read more...]
Colorado’s “Make My Day” Law
Woman Kills Her Boyfriend and Is Not Prosecuted Under Colorado Law Azura Lakin has dodged a bullet and avoided prosecution for murder under Colorado's "Make My Day Law". Azura Lakin is 21 years of age. On October 2, 2011, she had a fight with her boyfriend. During the fight, she slashed his throat with a broken bottle. Her boyfriend Shawn Cassidy, … [Read more...]
Divorce and College Tuition Expenses for Children (Part 2)
State University of New York (SUNY) At this point in the discussion (refer to yesterday's post for "Part 1" of this article), the attorney for one of the parties usually suggests the parents' exposure for payment of college expenses should be limited to a "SUNY CAP". The SUNY CAP is defined as either the cost of sending the children to one of … [Read more...]
Speed Racing on the Long Island Expressway
Darnel Anderson, 25 years of age, decided to have a race with Darrel Squiers. The race took place on the Long Island Expressway in Nassau County, New York. Both drivers were speeding in excess of 100 mph. Darnel Anderson had two children in the car with him while he was racing his friend. In court documents, he stated "I knew we were going way too … [Read more...]
Divorce and College Tuition Expenses for Children (Part 1)
There are many issues that come up in divorces. Who gets custody, child support, visitation (parenting schedules), equitable distribution of property and the payment of debts from the marriage. These issues can cause divorces to be contentious. Litigants in divorce cases spend large sums of money fighting to protect their rights concerning these … [Read more...]
The Prosecution of Pedestrians
Recently, in Georgia, a pedestrian was convicted of vehicular homicide related to the death of her four year-old son. The boy was killed in a car accident caused by a hit and run driver. Raquel Nelson took a long bus ride with her three children. This was in April of 2010. At the end of the bus ride, she tried to cross the road directly in front … [Read more...]
Track Your Cheating Spouse With iPhone Application
There is a new application for the iPhone 4S. This application can track people. An interesting case involves a man who purchased a new iPhone 4S for his wife and loaded the "Find my friends app" onto her phone without her knowing about it. He had been suspicious about her meeting another man for liasons. She told him she was going to one place and … [Read more...]
