November, 2008 | Pennsylvania Family Law Blog - The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz Archive
Child Support Ruling Overturned in Favor of Former NFL Star
Michael Booth wrote in the New Jersey Law Journal on August 27, 2008 that Michael Strahan a former New York Giants defensive end won his appeal against an $18,000 monthly child support ruling imposed on him in his 2006 divorce. Ruling in his favor that this was ‘exorbitant and unfairly apportioned’ against him was the New Jersey appellate court. The appellate court indicated that the trial judge failed to make the specific findings of fact necessary to sustain his decision to add $200,000 a year to the $35,984 annual award the couples twin girls are due under statutory guidelines.
Acknowledging that children of high-earning families pose distinctive problems in regards to their reasonable needs, the court said trial judges should avoid overindulgence – citing the doctrine of In re Patterson, 920 P.2d 450 (Kan. App. 1996), that “no child, no matter how wealthy the parents, needs to be provided [with] more than three ponies.” Read the rest »
New Online Reporting System to Report Child Custody Violations
The District Attorney of Santa Clara County in California has announced the launch of a new online reporting form for those who want to report a violation of a child custody or visitation court order. This is a big change from the time when parents or guardians had to make a report in the lobby or a public counter at the local police department or wait to have an officer come to them and take a report, according to a recent news article.
However, officials emphasize that this form is only for non-emergency matters. In case of child abduction or a similar criminal matter, families are asked to call their local police departments right away to report the crime. Read the rest »
Domestic Abusers Required to Have GPS Devices under New Michigan Law
More and more states are opting to fit domestic abusers and stalkers with GPS devices to monitor whether these individuals violate restraining orders. According to this news report, Michigan’s new law allows judges to order domestic violence suspects to wear GPS devices even before they go to trial in order to help alert victims of domestic violence if abusers are in the vicinity.
This law in Michigan and other states has been prompted by a slew of killings of women by ex-husbands or estranged husbands. These murders occurred although the women had obtained court orders to protect themselves. GPS devices have been traditionally used to track sex offenders. But technology has advanced to such an extent that domestic violence victims can get a call to their cell phone if the offender gets too close to a specific victim – be it a spouse or a child. Read the rest »
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