Maryland Family Law Maryland family law opinions and commentary

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been far-reaching, resulting in the shuttering of businesses, increased unemployment, school closures, and government-mandated shelter-in-place orders. Maryland’s judicial system, too, had to make significant changes to its procedures and limit in-person court proceedings. ...

A Child In Need of Assistance (“CINA”) requires the Juvenile Court’s protection, because the court has determined that the child was abused and/or neglected and the parent(s) are unable or unwilling to provide proper care and attention.  Md. Code Ann., ...

80% of success is showing up. — Woody Allen There is a lot of truth to the ancient proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The proper rearing of children is not only the individual responsibility of parents, but also a ...

For many of the professionals involved in representing children in foster care, the COVID-19 pandemic has restricted their mobility, social lives, family gatherings and more. Most of these professionals retain their jobs and work from home, collecting sick pay or ...

The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children, enacted in Maryland in 1975, is a binding agreement among all states facilitating the placement of children across state lines.  F.L. §§ 5-601-5-611. This state’s local departments of social services utilizes the ...

On Aug. 14, 2020, the Maryland Court of Appeals clarified the standard of evidence required to shelter a child to the Department of Social Services in Child In Need of Assistance (“CINA”) proceedings.  In re O.P, No. 26 September Term, ...

Recently released national data indicates that in fiscal year 2018, 678,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment, up from 674,000 victims in 2017. The number of child fatalities due to child abuse and neglect increased in fiscal year ...

Foster care is meant to be temporary; however, the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting closures — although necessary for public health — will likely extend the time that many children spend in foster care. When a child enters foster care through ...

Foster youth are already among the most vulnerable populations in the United States.  That susceptibility increases dramatically with the added variable of severe physical and mental disabilities. Youth with debilitating conditions such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and neuromuscular scoliosis ...

A 4-year-old had been physically abused by her mother. At the adjudication hearing in a Child in Need of Assistance (“CINA”) proceeding, material allegations were sustained against her mother. No allegations were sustained against her father, with whom she had ...