Articles Posted in Children

If you are a parent or guardian of a teenager between the ages of 13 to 17 who has committed a minor legal infraction, help may be available thanks to the Hunterdon County early intervention program announced the 14th of January this year by the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office. After successful pilot programs in a few municipalities throughout Hunterdon County last year, the County adopted the program joining Morris County, who has had a comparable program for years. Hunterdon County’s program is the Law Enforcement Adolescent Program, also known as L.E.A.P. By successfully completing L.E.A.P, a teenager’s minor infractions will not be recorded as a criminal charge in the system.

Although intended for offenders who commit first-time infractions associated with substance abuse, anger management, issues related to school or family matters, L.E.A.P may also offer repeat offenders enrollment at the discretion of the Hunterdon County L.E.A.P Officer. Additionally, the court may mandate enrollment.

The objective of L.E.A.P is to help teens make better life choices by providing therapeutic support and counseling as opposed to being charged with a crime. L.E.A.P participants receive objective guidance in the hope of causing participants to reflect on choices they made in the past, allowing them to gain further understanding and awareness about how to go about changing their behaviors in the future. Additionally, the program will be a source of encouragement, offering tools to avoid further criminal justice system involvement. Also, it is important to note that there is little to no cost to the teenager’s family.

keith’s child support (Photo credit: Sean Durham)

A recent story on msn.com suggested that Chris Humphries, estranged husband of Kim Kardashian, is the legal father of the baby she is currently carrying. Yet, anyone who follows celebrity news knows that Kanye West is that baby’s daddy. Which is it?

What the MSN article was referring to is the legal definition of “father.” Under California law, Mr. Humphries could be considered the legal father of Ms. Kardashian’s unborn child because the couple’s divorce is not yet finalized. New Jersey has similar legal definitions of “father.” Under New Jersey law, a man is presumed to be the father of a child if the child’s birth occurs during the marriage of that man to the child’s biological mother or within 300 days of the termination of that marriage. (1)

Adoption (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

About 1,500 American families, including some New Jersey residents, recently had their dreams shattered when a bill banning Russian orphan adoptions by U.S. citizens was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a move that highlights one of the risks of international adoptions. (1)

Each year thousands of Americans turn to foreign countries to adopt. One reason international adoptions are so popular is that the time and expense involved in the process is often more predictable than when adopting a domestic child. A major drawback is that when and if relations between the U.S. and the foreign country fall apart, these adoptions can be stopped – even in mid-process — leading to heartache for the adoptive parents and children alike.

Holding hands (Photo credit: Marco Nedermeijer)

When the paternity of a child is in question, parents do have the right to request a genetic test from the State, according to a recent decision by the New Jersey State Supreme Court. (1) This recent decision, which was in response to a 2006 Morris County divorce case, overturned a lower court ruling denying the request for a State-sponsored test because it would not be in favor of the child involved. In the divorce, the husband expressed doubt that the youngest of his three sons was his actual biological offspring, claiming instead the child was the son of his brother-in-law. The brother-in-law neither denied nor admitted paternity. The husband, however, proved his suspicions through private testing and sought repayment of money he spent raising the child. (1)

While this case may be unusual, paternity matters play a role in a number of areas, including divorce cases, inheritance and beneficiary issues, and especially child support orders. Failure to meet those child support orders in this State can result in penalties ranging from the seizure of tax refunds to the revocation of professional and/or driver’s licenses and, ultimately, to arrest and possible jail time. (2)

Photographed by Daniel Case 2006-07-27 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A bill pending before the Senate Judiciary Committee, if passed, would increase representation for children in parental rights termination cases. (1) Termination of parental rights is a serious, irrevocable action in New Jersey. If, after reading the following, you need assistance with a legal parenting issue, particularly in Hunterdon County, contact the family law attorneys at The Rotolo Law Firm in Lebanon, N.J.

Today, children whose parents are involved in a parental rights termination proceeding are represented by a law guardian appointed by the Office of Parental Representation, a division of the state’s Public Defender’s Office. While this is not a criminal charge, it does require a court hearing. The law guardian’s responsibility is to make sure the child’s best interest – not what either parent wants – is heard by the Court. He or she has the right to call and cross-examine witnesses during the hearing in order to accomplish this. (2)

Pregnant lady in beautiful pick flowing dress. People at Morro Bay, CA Fourth of July 2011 Celebration (Photo credit: mikebaird)

Everyone is familiar with alimony, “palimony” and child support, but is society ready for “preglimony?” That’s the debate taking place in legal circles today (1). If, after reading the following, you need the assistance of a Hunterdon County lawyer with support payments of any type, contact the family law attorneys at The Rotolo Law Firm in Lebanon, NJ.

Alimony, sometimes called spousal support, is the payment made by one spouse to another following a divorce to ensure each spouse fair economic treatment. (2) It dates back to a time when it was the norm for a woman to give up a job or career — and sometimes an education — in order to take care of her family and home, leaving her with few marketable skills for entering the workforce after divorce. Today, alimony can be awarded to either spouse, based on their ability to adequately support themselves.

Webcam (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On Friday, April 13, the documentary “Bully” hits theaters across the country. The film aims to bring to light the growing epidemic of bullying that threatens our children. To help stem this epidemic, New Jersey six months ago passed the toughest legislation in the nation to fight bullying in its public schools. (1) If, after reading the following, you need a Hunterdon County lawyer to assist you with a bullying incident involving your child, contact the family law attorneys at The Rotolo Law Firm in Lebanon, N.J.

New Jersey’s Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, which went into effect last September, strengthened earlier laws on the State’s books by requiring all public schools to develop comprehensive policies against bullying. Previously schools were only encouraged to do this. (2) This law was passed largely in response to the Tyler Clementi suicide. Clementi was a freshman at Rutgers University; Clementi jumped from the George Washington Bridge after learning that his college roommate, Dharun Ravi, streamed video of Clementi’s tryst involving another man and invited others to watch. Last month, Ravi was convicted of multiple charges against him including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy and witness tampering. He faces up to ten years in prison and possible deportation when sentenced on May 21. (3)

Swedish Dads, Skansen (Photo credit: ChrisGoldNY)

Under most circumstances (with the possible exception of surrogacy situations), establishing maternity of a child is obvious. Establishing paternity is another matter. But is this uncertainty enough to require genetic testing for all new parents and babies? If, after reading the following, you need assistance from a Hunterdon County lawyer regarding paternity issues, contact the family law attorneys at The Rotolo Law Firm located in New Jersey, Clinton Township.

A New Jersey Assemblyman recently put forward a bill that, if adopted, would require all new parents and their babies to undergo genetic testing to establish parentage. Because maternity is usually easier to prove, the bill, admittedly, is geared more to determining paternity. The thinking behind such a bill is that establishing paternity from the start would alleviate the potential for future court battles and the heartbreak associated with them. (1)

When a couple divorces, it is easy to understand why some may want to erase all evidence of the failed relationship. That’s one reason behind women reclaiming their maiden names as part of their divorce settlements. But when children are involved, such decisions are not so easy. If, after reading the following, you need assistance with custody-related issues, contact the family law attorneys at The Rotolo Law Firm in Lebanon, N.J.

The New Jersey Appellate Court recently reversed a ruling by a Burlington County Superior Court judge granting a mother permission to change her children’s surname following her divorce from their father. While the couple shares legal custody of their two children, the mother is the parent of primary residence. (1)

The couple divorced in 2010, ending an 11-year marriage. Shortly thereafter, the mother changed the children’s surname to a hyphenated version of her and her ex-husband’s last names without consulting the children’s father. The father filed with the court to have his children’s name changed back. The mother countered with her own petition to change the children’s name to her own. (1)

In an article dated January 5, 2012, Matt Friedman, Statehouse Bureau reported on the Assembly panel approval of a bill that removes the State’s two-year statute of limitations for lawsuits for child sexual abuse. Victor Rotolo’s 2008 landmark case paved the way for this change. Read Matt Friedman’s article here.