Mr. and Mrs. Vandyke were married for thirty-five years. The marriage ended in 2007. Mr. Vandyke was supposed to pay his wife $400.00 in spousal maintenance (alimony) per week until she reached the age of sixty-two. Mr. Vandyke failed to make his spousal maintenance payments. A hearing was held before Supreme Magistrate Rika Murray in the Family … [Read more...]
Update on No Fault Divorce in New York
New York modernized its divorce law in November of 2010. This was the first change in New York's divorce law since the 1960s. To obtain a divorce in New York, pursuant to Domestic Relations Law §170, "an action for divorce may be maintained by a husband or wife to procure a judgment divorcing the parties and dissolving the marriage on any of the … [Read more...]
Neighborhood Change Insufficient to Modify Child Custody Terms
Lawrence C. and Antheap met based on an advertisement placed on a website for a partner to conceive a child through artificial insemination. When the parties met, it was agreed that Antheap would be artificially inseminated and Lawrence C. would play a role in the parenting of the perspective child. In June of 2008, twins were born. A custody … [Read more...]
Divorce, Afghanistan Style
Afghanistan is one of the poorest, most backward countries in the world. Women in Afghanistan have rights similar to farm animals. They are pledged to marry at young ages by their fathers. They have virtually no say as to who they marry and where they live. They are subject to being disciplined by their husbands with beatings. In some situations, … [Read more...]
Men Who Raise Their Children
Sarah Palin has introduced the phrase to the American vernacular of "man-up". The man-up phrase being utilized by right-wing Republicans brings back a type of nostalgia concerning the role of men in society. It refers to a time when men, in business and politics, followed the John Wayne "tough-guy" roles. These type of men could grab a rifle, … [Read more...]
Six-year-old’s Video Testimony Rejected by Family Court Judge
Judge Richardson-Mendelsohn, a Family Court judge sitting in Queens County, New York, has refused a request to allow a six-year-old boy to testify via a closed circuit television hookup in a Family Court proceeding seeking an order of protection against his uncle. Z. Shareef, the boy's mother, had brought a proceeding in the Queens Family Court … [Read more...]
Dumb Bellagio Bandits
A man wearing a motorcycle helmet entered the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas on Tuesday, December 14, 2010. He pulled out his gun at the window where the chips were maintained. He escaped with $1.5 million dollars in chips! In the movie "Ocean's Eleven", the Bellagio Hotel is robbed by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and his crew. Bellagio Chips May Be … [Read more...]
Murder for Hire – Not a Good Way to End a Marriage
Susan Williams of Garden City, New York, was recently sentenced by Nassau County judge Norman St. George to serve 8 to 25 years in prison for hiring a hit man to murder her husband. Divorce by Murder Judge St. George stated, "She wanted a divorce by murder." He further stated upon sentencing that "The court will show the same leniency to the … [Read more...]
Father Loses Custody of Children
In a case before Justice Sunshine, sitting in the Supreme Court located in Kings County (Brooklyn, NY), the judge was presented with a situation where the father had initially been awarded custody by default in a divorce in the year 2005. In 2008, the mother moved for a change in custody in the Family Court. Her application was denied. In the … [Read more...]
The Court Values Marital Property and Professional License
Justice W. Kelly, sitting in the Supreme Court in Rockland County recently rendered a decision in a contested matrimonial action. In this lawsuit he determined the valuation of the husband's dental practice. He also valued other separate property and marital property. The assets in question were the marital residence and its contents, and … [Read more...]
