Pennsylvania Family Law Blog – The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz
Allegheny County Offers Amnesty to Parents Owing Back Child Support
PittsburghLive.com reports that Allegheny County is offering parents owing back child support that have warrants out for their arrest a chance at amnesty. It is the second time in four years that the county has taken such action.
According to the article, parents that have active bench warrants relating to child support cases will be able to appear in court to address the problem without being afraid they could be arrested or incarcerated. “We’re just trying to collect child support. We really don’t have an interest in putting people in jail. We want to get people on the right track,” said the deputy court administrator for the adult section of family division. Approximately 1,900 letters were sent to the last known addresses of parents that owe child support notifying them of the program. For the past four months, deputies from the sheriff’s department have also been leaving blue cards at the last known addresses of people owing back child support. The sheriff has said people have been coming forward to resolve their problems. Read the rest »
Guatemala Judge Orders U.S. Couple to Return Adopted Girl
A judge in Guatemala recently ordered a couple in America to return their adopted daughter back to her birth mother, reports CNN. According to the article, Survivors Foundation, a rights organization based in Guatemala City, supports the girls’ mother. In 2006, the group alleges the girl was kidnapped, then adopted and taken to the U.S. For many years, the girl’s parents have fought to get her back. Read the rest »
Supermodel Sues Salma Hayek’s Husband for $46,000 a Month in Child Support
Supermodel Linda Evangelista recently revealed that billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault is the father of her 4-year-old son. Pinault is currently married to actress Salma Hayek, with whom he has a 3-year-old daughter. Evangelista alleges her son was conceived in 2006 during the married couple’s brief separation.
Now, Evangelista is suing Pinault for approximately $46,000 per month in child support, according to The International Business Times. The sum is estimated to be the largest support order in the Manhattan family court’s history. Pinault is believed to be worth over $11 billion. Read the rest »
Guidelines to Teach Students About Dating Abuse and Domestic Violence in Development for Pennsylvania Schools
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) is developing a set of guidelines to help schools in the state teach students, teachers, and parents to recognize the signs of teen dating abuse and domestic violence and how to appropriately respond should such abuse and/or violence occur.
According to the article, a draft of the education and response guidelines were released by the PDE recently. While adopting the recommendations are not yet mandatory for schools in Pennsylvania, many hope schools will adopt them regardless. Read the rest »
Frank McCourt Asks Judge to Lower Spousal Support Payments Owed to Jamie McCourt
Frank McCourt, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, recently made a request to a judge that the spousal support payments he is giving to his ex-wife Jamie McCourt be reduced, according to USA Today. The contentious McCourt divorce involves the Dodgers’ ownership. A hearing is scheduled for early August.
Court documents show that Frank McCourt has paid over $5 million over the past year for the mortgages of a condominium and six homes, in addition to approximately $2.7 million he paid in temporary spousal support to Jamie McCourt. He believes the payments should reflect the $5 million he allegedly receives every year, and that his ex-wife herself should either sell the properties or pay the mortgages. Her attorneys have said that Frank McCourt should sell his half of the Dodgers assets if his personal finances are truly so desperate. Read the rest »
New York Joins Pennsylvania in Implementing Formula to Set Temporary Alimony Payments
According to The New York Times, New York State recently became one of the few states in the country to adopt a formula for setting certain alimony awards in an effort to make them more predictable and fair. The only other states that use a mathematical formula are Pennsylvania and Colorado. The formula only applies to temporary alimony when the combined income of both parties divorcing is not greater than $75,000 per year. However, in certain circumstances, the court may decide that the formula is not applicable.
In Pennsylvania, temporary alimony is referred to as alimony pendent lite, and is the amount paid by one spouse to the other following a divorce. These payments can help a spouse who earns very little or nothing support themselves and any dependent children. Read the rest »
Maria Shriver Files for Divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger
On Friday, July 1, Maria Shriver filed for divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger, ending her 25 years of marriage to California’s former governor, reports The Los Angeles Times. Citing “irreconcilable differences,” Shriver also requested joint custody of the couple’s two minor-aged children. The couple has two other older aged children. Read the rest »
How an Attorney Can Help Resolve Surrogacy Issues in Pennsylvania
Surrogacy is an arrangement under which a woman carries a child to term for another person or couple. The woman can be the child’s genetic mother, which is referred to as traditional surrogacy, or she can have an embryo, to which she is not genetically related, implanted in her uterus and carry to term, which is called gestational surrogacy. Typically, the child is conceived by artificial insemination or impregnated by intrauterine insemination (IUI) or intracervical insemination (ICI). Sperm and egg donations may also be utilized. Read the rest »
Why Would I Want to Sign a Confidentiality Agreement in Pennsylvania?
A confidentiality agreement, also known as a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), is a legal contract that is entered into between at least two parties, and outlines certain confidential information that the parties share with each other for certain purposes, but do not wish to have third parties access. Under the contract, the parties agree they will not disclose the information covered by the agreement. These agreements can restrict both parties in their use of the information, or they may restrict the use of the information by a single party.
Typically, these types of agreements are entered into for business arrangements, but in certain circumstances, a married couple may sign a confidentiality agreement in Pennsylvania. For example, if the couple ran a business together, or if one spouse was in the public eye, signing a confidentiality agreement during the marriage may be desirable. Read the rest »
Legislation Proposed to Cap Alimony Payments in Massachusetts
The Boston Business Journal reports that recently proposed legislation in Massachusetts would make dramatic changes in the way alimony payments are decided. In addition, under certain circumstances, if the legislation is passed it would permit divorced parties to re-examine their established alimony agreements.
The bill, known as the Alimony Reform Act of 2011, establishes guidelines that have been long-awaited for with regard to alimony payments in Massachusetts. Currently, the state does not allow judges to set a cap on the duration of payments, which has resulted in many situations of non-working ex-spouses supported by an unmarried, live-in partner receiving lifetime alimony payments from a working ex-spouse. If the legislation is passed, alimony recipients would not be permitted to continue receiving payments in those situations. The proposed legislation would also make it less difficult for parties to alter their alimony payments upon retirement. Read the rest »
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