Pennsylvania Family Law Blog

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.”

The appellate court also found error in the trial judge’s burdening of Strahan with 91 percent of the child support obligation; while not considering any income to Strahan’s former wife, Jean. Jean is a college educated woman with two degrees and held a former professional career when she met Strahan in 1994. She has voluntarily chosen not to work. In 1995 they moved in together and she resigned from her job. Signing a prenuptial agreement the couple married in 1999 and their twin girls were born in 2004.

The New Jersey appeals court agreed with Strahan that Essex County Superior Court Judge James Convery made a mistake when he failed to make a detailed examination of Jean Strahan’s child support request and instead simply accepted her recitation of the children’s needs. The appellate court also said “There is no question that as a healthy, educated, forty-one year-old, defendant is capable of earning her own income.”

Divorce proceedings and distribution of assets can be messy business. These are cases that must be treated with dignity and sensitivity. The Pennsylvania child support attorneys at the Law Office of Sheryl R. Rentz has years of experience in successfully handling child support and spousal support as well as prenuptial agreements. We will help you sort through the legal process and paperwork at a time when sorting though your life and spending time with your children can be your top priority. Call us today at 866-290-9292 for a free and confidential consultation.

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 this 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.

This is a wonderful system that would serve families well across the nation. Most couples who sign off a child custody agreement are quick to report custody or visitation violations as they should. Visitation rights refer to the set of laws surrounding the legal right of a parent or another relative to visit and spend time with a child after a divorce. When there is a violation it must be reported and the easier and less time-consuming it is, the more efficient the reporting system would be.

Visitation rights are some of the most complicated laws in Pennsylvania. When these issues arise in your divorce case, you want to be represented by the best, most knowledgeable and experienced divorce attorney. If you or someone you know is involved in a divorce, please call the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz for a free, confidential consultation. We have years of experience in family court issues. Call us today to ensure safety, legal rights and protection for you and your family.

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.

This law is great from the victims’ point of view. Not only does it give them a heightened sense of security, but also it gives them their lives back. Our office has represented victims of domestic violence for a number of years. We have successfully obtained restraining orders for many of our clients to help keep them and their families safe from possible danger.

If you or someone you know needs to file a domestic abuse charge, please call my office for a free consultation. The Law Office of Sheryl R. Rentz has locations in Pennsylvania and several years of divorce law experience. Call us today for a free evaluation of your case.