When alimony is awarded as part of a legal separation or divorce settlement, it becomes a legally binding agreement enforceable by the court. As such, the receiving spouse has recourse if and when the paying spouse fails to meet his or her payment obligation. Usually, this involves filing a petition…
In 2011 New Jersey adopted its Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights in response to the Federal Government’s efforts to protect people, especially children, from this growing problem. Since then, schools have been responsible for addressing claims of bullying and harassment against their students to the point of monitoring even those activities…
A current New Jersey case involving a Morris County high school girl who is suing her parents for support brings to light several questions regarding family law: • Can and should courts interfere with parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit? • How far do parents’ financial…
Efforts to provide New Jersey adoptees with access to their medical and genealogical histories while protecting biological parents’ rights to privacy are under way once again. (1) This time, however, lawmakers hope they have found a workable compromise. The latest revisions to a bill first introduced in 1980 are expected…
It is a familiar story. An elderly woman from Watchung answered her phone last month only to be told that her grandson was in custody in Haiti and needed her assistance to bail him out. It was only after she had wired $1,990 that the woman realized she had been…
At what age is it okay to leave a child unattended? In New Jersey, the answer depends on a number of circumstances, including where the child is being left. A New Jersey appeals court recently ruled that a parent or custodial guardian who leaves a young child unattended in a…
If Gov. Chris Christie signs a pending Bill before the current legislative session ends this week, certain domestic violence offenders could find themselves wearing electronic monitoring devices as part of a pilot program which would be implemented in Ocean County. If the Governor fails to sign the legislation, however, supporters…
Even couples who are convinced their marriage is over hesitate to take the final steps toward divorce during the holiday season. Not wanting to disrupt their families during what is supposed to be a happy time, they put off the inevitable. For that reason, January has become the month in…
The New Jersey Bar Association has joined the fight for alimony reform within the State. The problem, however, is that now two groups are fighting over whose proposed bill is better. For over two years now, a group known as NJ Alimony Reform has sought to eliminate permanent alimony in…
When Megan’s Law was adopted in 1994 the purpose was to warn people of the potential dangers they may face from a convicted sex offender living in their immediate vicinity. Under the law, those convicted of certain sex crimes must enroll in a central registry which, in turn, would be…