December, 2009 | Pennsylvania Family Law Blog - The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz Archive

Child Custody for Fathers Shows Increase

By Sheryl Rentz on December 29, 2009

Anyone who has gone through a divorce and has children is likely to tell you that it takes a lot of heart and courage to fight for what is best for your child. Even when a parent does not receive primary physical custody for their child or children, obtaining visitation rights or joint custody are both very important issues of concern.

A recent article from the New York Times discusses a collection of articles from Working Mother Magazine that address a new and heightened tendency for fathers to be given custody of children over the children’s mothers. Interestingly, as more women have become primary earners in a marriage, more women have seen their husbands receive primary physical custody of their children when a divorce takes place. According to the article, there are approximately 2.2 million divorced women in the U.S. who did not obtain primary physical custody of their children during their custody hearings. Furthermore, at this point, about 50% of fathers who seek primary custody in such divorce cases are granted it. Read the rest »

Jim Nantz’s Divorce Leads to an Annual $916,000 in Alimony and Child Support

By Sheryl Rentz on December 9, 2009

According to a recent huffintonpost.com article, Jim Nantz, a well-known CBS sportscaster, faces some newfound issues regarding his divorce. Apparently, Mr. Nantz is now required to pay an annual sum of $916,000 to his ex-wife for alimony and child support, both in addition to surrendering his home in Connecticut. Read the rest »

Free Paternity Tests Aim to Help Curb Child Support Debt

By Sheryl Rentz on December 2, 2009

Mississippi has recently taken efforts to receive federal funding to help children. Based on a 2.wjtv.com report, Mississippi’s Department of Human Services is hoping that offering free paternity tests will motivate more potential fathers to take responsibility for helping support their children, if that responsibility is in fact theirs to uphold.

According to the report, the state’s main goal is to obtain more child support payments, which will ultimately assist Mississippi federal funding for the new fiscal year. Therefore, the Department of Human Services is providing DNA tests, which can amount to costs between $300 and $500. This initiative may even be something that Mississippi prolongs or that other states adopt to further help parents who can’t afford a paternity test. Read the rest »