A child arrest for allegedly commtting a crime in Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Stamford or Wilton, Connecticut? If so, they are summoned to the Stamford Juvenile Court. Here is a brief summary of the process: First court appearance – also known as initial plea date or arraignment This is the date referenced on the Summons…
Modification of Unallocated Support is permitted. Under Connecticut law, either spouse can petition the court for a post judgment modification of alimony unless the divorce decree precludes modification. The modification may be a request to increase or decrease the award, or temporarily or permanently stop the payments. The party requesting the post-divorce modification has the…
Once in awhile I get a call from a potential client about whether to pursue an annulment or file for divorce. A divorce terminates a valid marriage. So if the marriage is legit then divorce is the only option. An annulment on the other hand is a legal finding that the marriage never existed because…
Connecticut Parental Alienation Custody Modification to the non-offending parent happens. In fact, a Connecticut divorce judge can (and should) award sole custody to one parent when the other parent engages in parental alienating behaviors. Here is a summary of a recent, high conflict case. A psychologist conducted a court ordered psychological evaluation of the parents….
Connecticut judges take a child’s education seriously. So if a child misses too much school when with one parent the other parent can be awarded sole custody as part of a Motion for Modification. That’s just what happened in a recent case. The mother initially held primary residential custody but during that period, the child…
Will contests in Connecticut Probate Court usually involve the one or more of the following: 1. Lack of testamentary capacity. Did the decedent understand what property was being disposed and who was to receive the property? The argument here is that the decedent was not of sound mind and memory when he/she executed the will….
How to modify alimony in Stamford Connecticut is a very common issue post-divorce. It is especially important in the Stamford Court where the alimony awards tend to be higher than other divorce courts in Connecticut. Under Connecticut law, either party can file a Motion for Modification unless the divorce decree precludes it. Sometimes the Separation…
These are the most common grounds to terminate parental rights in Connecticut: 1. Abandonment. This occurs when a parent has abandoned the child by failing to maintain a reasonable degree of interest, concern or responsibility as to the welfare of their child. 2. Failure to rehabilitate. Rehabilitation refers to whether or not the parent has…
Connecticut Divorce Parental Alienation. These two unfortunate events happen in tandem way too often. Yes – there are countless reasons why a child might not have a positive relationship with a parent. Many times, it is the parent’s own actions or inactions, which has caused the estrangement. It is simplistic (and tempting) to say that…
I have seen a significant increase in the number of cases involving claims of parental alienation in Connecticut. Are there really more PAS cases? I doubt it. Put on any label you want on it. The traditional behaviors that are the hallmark of parental alienation have been around as long as custody and visitation…