Kelley v Kelley In Kelly v. Kelly, the 4th DCA reversed and remanded the final judgment on the issues of equitable distribution and alimony. As to ED, the trial court had stated its intention to make equal awards to the parties, but a mathematical error in the equalizing payment made the award significantly unequal. As […]
Category: Family Law
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 […]
Some Thanksgiving Thoughts
For this Thanksgiving issue of the Men’s Rights Blog, let’s take a minute to acknowledge some practical pieces of advice that family law litigants can use to help facilitate the difficult process of dealing with divorce and custody issues. During this trying time, it is easy to get lost in all the stress, and even […]
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 […]
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
Berg v. Young
Berg v. Young concerns the interpretation of a prenuptial agreement. Ultimately the 4th DCA reversed the finding regarding a denial of attorney’s fees because the prevailing party should have been awarded his fees based upon a plain reading of the agreement. Also reversed was the award to the wife of attorney’s fees based upon section […]
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 […]
What assets and liabilities are considered marital, and how are they divided under Florida law?
Florida Statute 61.075 sets out criteria for classifying assets and liabilities. The first step to understanding what you and your significant other have in the marital estate is to determine two key periods of time. First, you must determine the date of your marriage. That date will be the starting point for classifying marital versus […]
Dorworth v. Dorworth
Alimony and Equitable Distribution of marital assets and debts are tools that courts can, and often do, use to achieve equity. So long as there is competent substantial evidence supporting findings of valuation, and the required statutory findings regarding ED and alimony are made, courts have great discretion to fashion distribution and support schemes that […]
Testa v. Testa
In Testa v. Testa the appellate court reminds us that before imposing the sanction of barring a litigant from pro se filings, the trial court must first issue an order to show cause and provide notice to the pro se litigant and a reasonable opportunity to respond. Testa v Testa