Pennsylvania Family Law Blog

Men can stop making child support payments after learning through DNA testing that they are not the father of the child, under a legislation approved by the Tennessee House this month. According to this news report, House Bill 805, sponsored by Rep. Stacey Campfield passed on a 66-24 vote. The measure, called the “baby daddy bill,” is about being fair, Campfield has said. This of course will not apply in cases where the man has legally adopted the child. Another provision in this bill also states that the child support payments are to continue for 60 days after “childhood is disestablished.”

Genetic testing has changed the face of Philadelphia divorce cases – especially in matters of child custody and child support – in recent years. If you have been paying child custody to the mother of a child who is not yours, it is no doubt an unfair situation. However, in such cases, it is the child who suffers. The mistake may have been the mother’s, but it is the child’s quality of life that suffers when the mother stops receiving payments.

In cases where paternity is in question, you need a skilled Pennsylvania child custody lawyer with experience in child support matters. Whether you are a mother who wants to prove the father’s paternity or a father who wants to prove otherwise, the Law Offices of Sheryl Rentz can help you. If you proceed without a skilled attorney on your side, you may suffer financially for the rest of your life. Please do not let this happen to you. Call Sheryl R. Rentz today for a free consultation and objective evaluation of your case.

A judge in Cincinnati has ordered former Bengals wide receiver Darnay Scott to be arrested after Scott missed a court appearance in his child support case. According to this UPI news report, the 36-year-old Scott was scheduled to appear in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court to face two charges of failing to pay child support. The judge ordered Scott’s $5,000 bond revoked and issued an arrest warrant. Scott apparently owes $10,686 in arrears to his two daughters, ages 11 and 6.

When one parent fails to pay his or her required child support payments to the other parent, the amount owed in back payments are known as arrearages. Pennsylvania has very strict laws that make punishments for offenders extremely severe. Parents who do not pay their child support arrears can face stiff penalties including jail time, driver’s license and passport suspension, bank account seizure and reporting to credit agencies. When a parent owes arrears and refuses to pay them, you can file an enforcement application with the court. Also, Pennsylvania child support laws allow for imposition of penalties once a child support enforcement application has been filed.

If you are owed child support payments, or if you are a parent who has not paid child support but would like to make that payment and clear your record, please call the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz for a free consultation. Our experienced Pennsylvania child support attorneys will help you with your child support case no matter what your situation is. Call us today for a free case evaluation.

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur must pay his ex-wife $500,000 in alimony until the year 2020. According to an Associated Press news report, Brodeur had appealed, asking that he only be required to pay the alimony until his projected retirement date in 2021. His ex-wife, Melanie DuBois, had asked for alimony payments until 2024, when their youngest child is anticipated to graduate from college. The appellate court ruled that Brodeur should pay alimony until 2020, when the youngest child will graduate high school.

A lower court had originally awarded DuBois permanent alimony. In addition, she was also awarded $132,000 in annual child support and more than $9 million in other assets. The couple married in 1995 and had five children. DuBois filed for divorce in 2003 after Brodeur admitted to having an affair with his sister-in-law, who was living with the Brodeurs to help care for the children.

In most cases that involve celebrities, lawyers for the celebrity’s spouse argue that the alimony is needed to preserve a lifestyle that was created during the marriage. That “lifestyle” could involve paying for and maintaining a big house, which may be a necessity more than a luxury when you have four or more children living with you. The bottom line is that there is no formula when it comes to alimony. Whether or not you are involved in a contentious divorce proceeding, it is imperative that you consult with a top Pennsylvania divorce lawyer and family law attorney to make sure that your legal rights are protected. If you are going through a divorce, please call the Law Office of Sheryl R. Rentz at 610-645-0100 for a free consultation.

Police in Milford, Delaware, arrested a deadbeat dad who tried to flee when he was pulled over for speeding. According to an ABC News report, a state trooper tried to pull over Eric Darling when he was clocked doing 68 mph in a 50 mph zone. Darling apparently slowed down and pulled onto the shoulder before fleeing the scene. The trooper pursued him. Darling lost control of his vehicle on a curve and it fell into a ditch and rolled over several times, the news report stated.

Authorities say Darling was wanted by the Kent County Family Court because he owed arrears on child support. Officials did not say how much he owed in child support payments. Darling did not suffer major injuries in the crash, but will face charges related to the police pursuit and the accident after he is released from the hospital.

Failure to pay Philadelphia child support per the court ruling can cause serious problems for the parent. The penalties for not paying child support can be harsh and may include suspension of passport and driving privileges and seizure of bank accounts. Please do not let this happen to you.

If you believe that you cannot afford a child support payment, if you have lost your job, or suffered a setback, please consult an experienced Pennsylvania child support lawyer immediately. At the Law Office of Sheryl R. Rentz, we can help you sort out your situation by taking care of the legal process and paperwork so you can focus on your children, family and other aspects of your life that should take priority. Call us today at 610-645-0100 for a free and confidential consultation.

Pop star Madonna and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie have made their child custody deal legal and final in the United States, according to this news report. The celebrity couple apparently filed papers with a Manhattan court regarding the shared custody of their two children, 8-year-old Rocco and 3-year-old David. The joint custody agreement states that both boys must remain kosher and attend synagogue twice a week.

When there are children involved in a divorce proceeding, it always gets more complicated. The laws surrounding child custody in Pennsylvania after a divorce are complex and rather difficult to understand. If you are going through such a situation, it would be in your best interest to retain the services of an experienced Pennsylvania divorce lawyer. It could save you long-term problems and serious headaches. You do not want to take a chance when it comes to your children.

Please remember that if you are involved in divorce proceedings that concern children, you should have your lawyer draw up a comprehensive settlement plan before filing divorce papers, which can also include a custody schedule. In Pennsylvania, you can either file for legal custody or physical custody. Legal custody in Pennsylvania means that you as a parent have the right to make all decisions regarding your child, such as their education, healthcare and residence. Physical custody determines where the child or children live.

If you are dealing with a divorce proceeding involving children, please call the Law Office of Sheryl Rentz for a free consultation. Our office can handle every type of custody issue surrounding divorce in Pennsylvania irrespective of whether you are married, unmarried or already divorced. We will fight to protect your legal rights and work to get the best possible outcome in your case. Contact us today for a case evaluation.

Family law attorneys across the United States are noticing that divorces are more amicable these days because of the tight economy and the escalating costs of fighting over the house or custody of children. Couples are actually arriving at a compromise, according to this news report. Official sources of data have not yet recorded this decline in hotly contested divorces.

Consider the average difference in costs. When a divorce is amicable and both parties arrive on an agreement, attorneys charge a flat fee of between $500 and $1,000. But taking a divorce case to the jury can cost thousands of dollars or more. It is very expensive to fight for property or kids. The best way to settle a divorce in Pennsylvania is to try and agree on a fair compromise. However, in some cases, it is hard to reach an agreement when one person is being tough or unreasonable. The divorce rate in the United States in 2007 was 3.6 per 1,000 people.

If you believe your marriage is headed for a divorce, it would be in your best interest to contact an experienced Pennsylvania divorce lawyer. If you want to get the best possible result for your case, you need the quality representation of someone who can really help you. Divorces, or even dissolutions of partnerships, can have legal ramifications and could cost you financially for the rest of your life. A number of important details that could have lifelong consequences are negotiated during a divorce proceeding. These include, but are not limited to, child custody, child visitation, child support, alimony and division of property and assets.

The laws surrounding divorce are complex in the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania. If you or someone you love is facing a divorce in Pennsylvania, please call Sheryl R. Rentz for a free consultation. Our office has solid contacts in the legal and professional community. We have the necessary resources to perform extensive investigative work and provide expert witness evaluation to any divorce case.

The economic downturn is having its effect on divorced parents and child custody in Pennsylvania. According to this WPXI News report, tough economic times are forcing Pennsylvania parents to take jobs outside of the city they live in. This is causing legal problems because if they have children and a child custody agreement, then they cannot leave the area. The article gives the example of a mom with three sons who left Allegheny County and moved to Butler County with the children. But the courts saw it as the mother taking the children away to a different place without the father’s permission. As a result, the mother not only lost primary physical custody of her children, but is also now burdened with paying attorney fees to sort out the mess.

A number of parents do not know that they cannot do this without first getting permission from the court, especially when there is a child custody agreement in place. Parents should err on the side of caution when they relocate and inform the courts about it. Otherwise, their move could be misunderstood as kidnapping since the legal system aims to protect the custodial rights of both parents.

There is no question that child custody issues can be hard to understand. Pennsylvania divorce and child custody laws can be complex. If you are in a situation where you need to modify your child custody settlement or agreement, please contact an experienced Philadelphia child custody lawyer to make sure your rights are protected and that you are following the right procedures.

The state of New York has so far collected $1.7 billion in child support for the year 2008, according to this news report. That number is an increase of $104 million over the previous year. According to the New York Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, this was the biggest annual increase in child support collections since 2001. Officials say this increase was due to the agency’s efforts to collect as well as the establishment of paternity of 90,937 New York children – which was up 3 percent from 2007. The department can take a number of steps from garnishing wages to intercepting tax returns when non-custodial parents get behind on support payments.

Pennsylvania has very strict laws that make punishment for parents who do not pay child support very severe. Any amounts owed in back payments of child support in Pennsylvania are known as arrearages. A parent who does not pay up can face punishment that includes jail time, driving license and/or passport suspension, bank account seizure and reporting of failure to pay to credit agencies. If you are a parent who is looking to collect child support, all it takes is contacting an experienced Pennsylvania child support attorney. The best family law attorneys will not charge for an initial consultation.

If a parent misses payments but wants to make up for it, he or she has options as well. Whatever your situation is, please contact the Law Office of Sheryl Rentz for a free, comprehensive and completely confidential consultation by calling 610-645-0100. Our skilled Philadelphia family law attorneys will evaluate your case and explain your legal rights and options.