In Kemp v. Kemp, the trial court ordered an interim partial equitable distribution in the absence of a motion requesting such a distribution, and in the absence of any indication that such distribution could be revisited at a later date. This was error. The only thing requested was temporary attorney’s fees, which was denied. The […]
Tag: dissolution of marriage
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 […]
Full Custody
The above statement is something that is heard often by many Florida family law professionals, and each time it comes up, the following needs to be explained. The word “custody” in Florida law is an archaic term, and although it is obsolete, it seems like it simply won’t go away. This is likely because the […]
Smith v. Smith
In Smith v. Smith, the applicable date for determining whether assets and liabilities are classified as marital or nonmarital was the date of the filing of the petition for dissolution of marriage. Assets and liabilities not in existence on that date should not be classified as marital. Thus, the equitable distribution scheme that the trial […]
Stantcheva v. Stantcheva
Stantchev v. Stantcheva is an equitable distribution case based upon the date of valuation. Two months before the date of filing the Husband had made a transfer from a marital account in the U.S. to a marital account in Bulgaria, and during the transfer and exchange of the funds from U.S. Dollars to Bulgarian leva […]
Before, During and After the Divorce
You’re getting a divorce. Divorce is often a long, emotional, stressful process. Many times, people are so focused on the divorce process that they forget about the parts of their life that will not be covered in the divorce proceedings. Matters such as health care directives and estate planning will likely not be fully addressed […]
Retirement Accounts in Divorce: Assets or Income?
According to Florida law, retirement accounts can be treated as both an asset AND a source of income for alimony purposes. So, in the context of seeking alimony modification due to retirement, courts are correct to look at retirement accounts now in pay (distribution) status as sources of income for the alimony payor, even though […]
Emotional Attachment To Assets In Divorce Negotiations
One of the things that happens when a couple gets a divorce is the separation of assets and liabilities. Prior to going to trial, the couple is ordered by the Court to attend mediation in order to allow the parties to resolve all, or as many issues as possible, before involving the Court. In mediation, […]
Overcoming Anger and Resentment
How essential is the ability of parents to put aside their personal feelings about each other and put the needs of their children first? You only need to look to Florida Statute 61.13 to see that the Court places great importance on parents being able to separate the feelings they have for each other with […]
Ellisen v. Ellisen
The trial court in the attached case misconstrued the pleadings, and denied a petition for modification of alimony based upon the wrong legal standard. When modification of an existing order of support is sought, the proof required to modify a settlement agreement and the proof required to modify an award established by court order shall […]