It often comes as a surprise to unmarried fathers that when they break up with the mother of their child, they do not have timesharing and decision-making rights automatically. In order to establish a timesharing schedule and to require the child’s mother to include them in major decisions, the father must file a Petition to […]
Category: Child Custody
Stat Dept. of Revenue v. Pare
Stat Dept of Revenue v Pare In DOR v. Pare, the trial court denied a UIFSA petition for child support because there was no legal order determining paternity and because he did not have legal custody of the child, despite the fact that the child was living with the father with the mother’s consent and […]
Lessons Learned in Divorce Litigation
To paraphrase Santayana: those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it. Here are a few of the lessons I have learned in almost two and a half decades of divorce litigation: Wait too long to file for divorce/modification/enforcement. The date of filing a divorce has the important distinction of […]
Parenting with a Difficult Ex
There are many reasons that your ex became your ex. Some parents are able to overcome their differences and become cooperative co-parents for their children. Others are not so lucky. No matter how much you want to be able to work together with your ex to parent your child(ren), your ex may be unwilling to […]
Wolfson v. Wolfson
Wolfson v. Wolfson from the 3d DCA is a post-judgment case that has been highly litigated, even years after the final judgment of dissolution of marriage. In this iteration of the case, a temporary modification of timesharing, granted by the trial court after hearing only the former husband’s part of the case, was overturned and […]
Corcoran v. Corcoran
In Corcoran v. Corcoran, the 5th DCA remanded the final judgment for required findings to be made on four separate issues where they were missing: alimony, attorney’s fees, equitable distribution, and shared parental responsibility. Corcoran v Corcoran
Vaelizadeh v. Hossaini
In Vaelizadeh v. Hossaini the 4th DCA tackled the issue of an untimely objection to relocation. The trial court found that the Father’s objection to the proposed relocation was untimely and thus entered a final judgment allowing the relocation, but the appellate court reversed and remanded the case for five reasons: The father had filed […]
Timesharing and Custody Factors
When Florida courts fashion timesharing plans, there are multiple factors which the Court must consider to determine the plan that is in the best interest of the children. The factors considered by the Court can be found in Florida Statute 61.13(3). It is important to understand each factor and to do your best to follow […]
My child says that he/she wants to live with me. Can’t the court just let my child decide where he/she wants to live?
The court will not simply take your child’s preference on where he/she wants to live as the only controlling factor to consider. Children are generally not capable of knowing what is in their own best interest. It is up to parents, or the Court, to make the necessary decisions for the minor children, until they […]
Back to School
It is that time of year again: time for children to head back to school. It’s important to remain involved with your child(ren)’s schooling even though you and the other parent may not be together. If parents have a friendly relationship, staying involved should be fairly easy, but what if you and your child(ren)’s other […]