When a party files an action for divorce and the other spouse subsequently dies before the divorce is finalized, a rebuttable presumption exists that the surviving spouse was not willfully absent from the decedent spouse, the Michigan Supreme Court has ...
Read More »Michigan Supreme Court sets surviving spouse recovery standard
Spouse shelves suit; no attorneys’ fees for ex 
RICHMOND, Va. — When a man voluntarily dismissed a defamation suit against his ex-wife before she moved to dismiss in federal court, she cannot recover attorneys’ fees pursuant to Virginia’s “anti-SLAPP” statute, the Eastern District of Virginia has ruled in ...
Read More »Judge voids romantic restrictions provisions in property settlement agreement 
RICHMOND, Va. — A Virginia circuit court has ruled that provisions in a property settlement agreement, or PSA, which regulated introduction of the parties’ romantic partners to their child were unconstitutionally vague, void as against public policy and unenforceable. Judge ...
Read More »California OKs ‘baby bonds’ to help combat child poverty 
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Parenting — that long chain of decisions that hopefully leads to a well-rounded adult — was always a little less stressful for Laura Guerra because her husband, Rigo, was “100% in it” for their daughter, Emilia. But ...
Read More »West Virginia foster care system lawsuit revived by court 
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — An appeals court has revived a federal lawsuit that a lower court dismissed accusing the state of West Virginia of failing to protect children and fix its overwhelmed foster care system. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of ...
Read More »Embattled New Mexico child welfare agency outlines changes 
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The embattled state agency that oversees child welfare in New Mexico said Friday it is retraining its front-line investigators and creating new critical review teams as part of an effort to once again overhaul a department that ...
Read More »LGBTQ+ clients worried by Dobbs decision, Md. attorneys say 
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, family law practitioners in Maryland have been inundated with calls from LGBTQ+ clients worried that the Supreme Court will next set its sights on Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that in 2015 recognized ...
Read More »Woman sues pharmacies after being denied morning-after pill 
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Reproductive health advocates are sounding the alarm about possible limited or prohibited access to contraception after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. But a case going to trial next month suggests that a threat to reproductive health ...
Read More »Report: Southern California county failed Turpin children 
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The social services system “failed” 13 children who were rescued after being starved, shackled and horribly abused by their parents at a Southern California home for years, according to a report released Friday. Some of the Turpin ...
Read More »Marriage equality once again proposed in Navajo Nation bill 
FARMINGTON, N.M. — Months after withdrawing legislation that proposed the Navajo Nation recognize marriage equality through repealing and amending tribal laws, a new bill is bringing back that recommendation. The legislation seeks to end the ban on same-sex marriage under ...
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