If One Parent Gets Primary Custody, Does This Mean That He/She Can Make All Decisions Regarding the Kids Without Any Input From the Other Parent?

There are two kinds of child custody, not just one. Those two different kinds are legal custody and physical custody. Legal custody is the power of a parent to make…

Continue ReadingIf One Parent Gets Primary Custody, Does This Mean That He/She Can Make All Decisions Regarding the Kids Without Any Input From the Other Parent?

Why Don’t All Divorced Wives Get Half of Their Husbands’ Property?

Because divorce is not about a spouse (man or woman) getting “half of everything”. Depending upon whether a state is a “community property” state or an “equitable distribution” state, here…

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If a Family Court Judge Orders That a School District Provide Certain Documents and the District Does Not Respond at All, Believing That the Court Has No Jurisdiction, Can the Order Be Enforced, or Is Something Else Going on That I Don’t Understand?

If the court does not have jurisdiction to issue an order to the school district or has issued a defective order, then the school district has every right to oppose…

Continue ReadingIf a Family Court Judge Orders That a School District Provide Certain Documents and the District Does Not Respond at All, Believing That the Court Has No Jurisdiction, Can the Order Be Enforced, or Is Something Else Going on That I Don’t Understand?

How Do I Inform a School About Divorce and That Their Father Is Not Allowed to Pick Them Up?

Great question. There are many ways to do this wrong, so let’s start with those. Just tell the teachers and principal and expect them to take your word for it; bring…

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2023 UT App 60 – Martinez v. Sanchez-Garcia – Material and Substantial Change

2023 UT App 60 - Martinez v. Sanchez-Garcia THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DAISY MARTINEZ Appellant, v. FERNANDO SANCHEZ-GARCIA, Appellee. Opinion No. 20210829-CA Filed June 2, 2023 First District Court,…

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2023 UT App 62 – Cox v. Cox – Adequacy of Court Findings

2023 UT App 62 - Cox v. Cox THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS BLANCHE COX, Appellee, v. JAMES A. COX, Appellant. Opinion No. 20210455-CA Filed June 8, 2023 Fourth District…

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What Can I Legally Do if My Child’s Mother Refuses to Use Car Seat When Traveling With Our Little Child?

What can I legally do if my child's mother picks up our child in an Uber without a car seat? She is 5 years old, about 50 lbs. She is…

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Nelson v. Nelson – 2023 UT App 38 – Claim Preclusion and Child Support

2023 UT App 38 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STASHIA NELSON, Appellee, v. ISAAC SCOTT NELSON, Appellant. Opinion No. 20210345-CA Filed April 13, 2023 First District Court, Logan Department The…

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Knowlton v. Knowlton – 2023 UT App 16

Knowlton v. Knowlton - 2023 UT App 16 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS SHONDELL SWENSON KNOWLTON, Appellee, v. BRADLEY LEWIS KNOWLTON, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200483-CA Filed February 9, 2023 Second…

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Mintz v. Mintz – 2023 UT App 17

Mintz v. Mintz - 2023 UT App 17 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS RAYNA ELIZABETH MINTZ, Appellant and Cross-appellee, v. GLEN RYAN MINTZ, Appellee and Cross-appellant. Opinion No. 20200507-CA Filed…

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Myers v. Myers 2023 UT App 20 – Alimony Modification

Myers v. Myers 2023 UT App 20 2023 UT App 20 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS AMY R. MYERS, Appellee, v. JACOB W. MYERS, Appellant. Opinion No. 20220002-CA Filed March…

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The New Utah Code §§ 30-3-35 and 30-3-35.1 Holiday Parent-Time Schedules

From KSL.com: New Utah law brings confusion, contention for some divorced parents this holiday season https://www.ksl.com/article/50538686/new-utah-law-brings-confusion-contention-for-some-divorced-parents-this-holiday-season Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277

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Wellman v. Kawasaki – 2023 UT App 11 – Alimony

2023 UT App 11 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DAVID WELLMAN, Appellee, v. KRISTIN KAWASAKI, Appellant. Opinion No. 20210265-CA Filed February 2, 2023 Fourth District Court, Provo Department The Honorable…

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Oldroyd v. Oldroyd – 2022 UT App 145 – Premarital Property

2022 UT App 145 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS ROBBEN ANN OLDROYD, Appellant, v. FARRELL LYNN OLDROYD, Appellee. Opinion No. 20210073-CA Filed December 22, 2022 Second District Court, Morgan Department…

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How do you get pet custody after a breakup?

I cannot speak on what the law is in every jurisdiction, but according to Utah (Utah is where I practice divorce and family law), the answers are:  If by “breakup”…

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Whose responsibility is it to reduce or put an end to the divorce rate in this modern day?

Few rational, intelligent, thinking people would argue that a divorce rate hovering around 50% is not too high. Society suffers from a high divorce rate and the broken families that…

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Child refuses to exercise shared custody with the stricter parent

Teenager Child (16) refuses to see me after spending a month with my ex. I have 50% custody. What can I do about it? I'm a stricter parent unlike my…

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How can I make sure father won’t gain custody?

My husband cheated on me and we're getting a divorce. He begged me not to take his children away, but I want him to suffer. How can I make sure…

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Can a parent with full custody deny visitation due to unsanitary conditions?

Can a parent with full custody refuse to allow visitation due to unsanitary living conditions? Good question. I will answer this question in the context of some applicable law for…

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So I want to ask my dad to divorce my mom.

So I want to ask my dad to divorce my mom. She has a troublesome personality, to say. I'm currently 16 and the relationship between not just me and my…

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Does it take time to move on after a midlife divorce?

For most people, generally yes. However one may define “move on,” the longer one is married (especially when the couple has lived together for the duration of the marriage and…

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Fox v. Fox 2022 UT App 88 – alimony

Fox v. Fox 2022 UT App 88 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DIANN SHERI FOX, Appellant, v. BENJAMIN DAVIS FOX, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200949-CA Filed July 14, 2022 Fifth District…

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Duffin v. Duffin – 2022 UT App 60

2022 UT App 60 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JAMES M. DUFFIN III, Appellee and Cross-appellant, v. BRANDY E. DUFFIN, Appellant and Cross-appellee. Opinion No. 20200361-CA Filed May 12, 2022 Third District Court, West Jordan Department…

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Beckham v. Beckham, 2022 UT App 65

2022 UT App 65 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS VICKI BECKHAM, Appellee, v. RANDALL BECKHAM, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200935-CA Filed May 19, 2022 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The…

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Horne v. Horne – 2022 UT App 54 – 60(b) motion to set aside

2022 UT App 54 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS REBECCA A. HORNE, Appellee, v. TODD D. HORNE, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200845-CA Filed April 28, 2022 Third District Court, Salt Lake…

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How can I help my stepdaughter get away from an abusive mother?

How can I help my 12-year-old step daughter get away from an emotionally abusive mother?  Tell the child’s father (your husband) about the trouble and have him handle it. It’s…

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Can a parent take kids out of state while divorce is pending?

Can a parent who has filed for divorce and moved out with her 2 children now take her children for a week to another state for Thanksgiving, or will it be…

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Twitchell v. Twitchell – 2022 UT App 49 – child custody and support

Twitchell v. Twitchell - 2022 UT App 49 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JAZMIN S. TWITCHELL, Appellee, V. JOSEPH N. TWITCHELL, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200546-CA Filed April 14, 2022 First…

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Widdison v. Widdison – 2022 UT App 46 – custody modification

Widdison v. Widdison - 2022 UT App 46   THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  NICOLE WIDDISON, Appellant,  LEON BRYANT WIDDISON,  Appellee.  Opinion  No. 20200484-CA  Filed April 7, 2022  Third District…

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Knowles v. Knowles – UT App 47

Knowles v. Knowles - UT App 47  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  DUANE CROFT KNOWLES, Appellant, v. CELIA FERN KNOWLES, Appellee.  Opinion  No. 20200032  Filed April 7, 2022  Second District…

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Why do spurned spouses often refuse to cooperate in their own divorce proceedings?

Why do spurned spouses often refuse to participate in certain aspects of their own divorce proceedings despite the headache it creates for all parties involved? Spurned spouses sometimes refuse to…

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How do you win a case against your ex for false accusations?

If you find an attorney who knows a sure-fire, fail-safe way to defend an ex-spouse or an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend against “false accusations,” that attorney is likely a multimillionaire because possessing such…

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Hinds v Hinds-Holm – 2022 UT App 13 – child custody award factors

Hinds v Hinds-Holm - 2022 UT App 13 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS BRADLEY HINDS, Appellee, v. RACHEL HINDS-HOLM, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200586-CA Filed January 27, 2022 Third District Court,…

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Wadsworth v. Wadsworth – 2022 UT App 5 – marital estate

2022 UT App 5  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  CANDI WADSWORTH, Appellant, v. GUY L. WADSWORTH, Appellee.  Opinion No. 20190106-CA No. 20200430-CA Filed January 13, 2022  Third District Court, Salt…

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T.W. v. S.A. – 2021 UT App 132 – child custody

2021 UT App 132  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  T.W., Appellant, v. S.A., Appellee.  Opinion  No. 20200397-CA  Filed November 26, 2021  Third District Court, West Jordan Department  The Honorable Dianna…

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Fischer v. Fischer – 2021 UT App 145 – marital vs. separate property

THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  GARY LEE FISCHER, Appellant, v. MELISSA KAY FISCHER, Appellee.  Opinion  No. 20200557-CA  Filed December 30, 2021  Seventh District Court, Moab Department  The Honorable Don Torgerson …

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Christmas/Winter Break for Parents Under the Utah Code

Christmas/Winter Break for Parents Under Utah Code § 30-3-35 or (§ 30-3-35.5 for a child 18 months and older) If your Christmas/Winter break starts December 17, 2021 and ends January…

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How does the legal system protect the visitation rights of non-custodial parents?

How? Not very well, generally.  But before I elaborate, let’s ask and answer this question first: is the legal system designed to protect the visitation (“visitation” is also known as…

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MacFarland v. MacFarland – 2021 UT App 58

021 UT App 58  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  BRUCE RAY MCFARLAND, Appellant and Cross-appellee,  v.  NICOLE S. MCFARLAND, Appellee and Cross-appellant.  Opinion  No. 20190541-CA  Filed June 4, 2021  Second…

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Nakkina v. Mahanthi – 2021 UT App 63 – joint equal custody, marital property, attorney fees

Nakkina v. Mahanthi - 2021 UT App 63 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS SIREESHA NAKKINA, Appellee, v. PRODEEP KUMAR MAHANTHI, Appellant. Opinion No. 20190750-CA Filed June 17, 2021 Third District…

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Ward v. McGarry – 2021 UT App 51

Ward v. McGarry - 2021 UT App 51  NOTICE: THIS OPINION HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE PERMANENT LAW REPORTS. UNTIL RELEASED, IT IS SUBJECT TO REVISION OR WITHDRAWAL.   …

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When flawed thinking is tragic thinking (thank goodness)

I frequently encounter comments made in child custody disputes to the effect that “courts favor the nurturing and detailed attentiveness of mothers over fathers.”  I am as grateful for such comments as I am disheartened by them. Grateful…

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How to Explain to Your Kids You Are Getting Divorced (Guest Post)

Author Bio: Cristin Howard runs Smart Parent Advice, a site that provides parenting advice for moms and dads. Cristin writes about all of the different ups and downs of parenting, provides solutions…

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What are the grounds for filing for a divorce in Utah?

First, you need to understand that Utah, like every other state in the U.S. has what are known as a “no-fault divorce law”. No-fault divorce means that you don’t have…

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How hard did you have to fight to get custody of your child after divorce as a father? What was the biggest problem you faced?

Allow me to start this answer by clearing the air a bit: First, there are many fathers who are clearly unfit fathers but who nonetheless believe the only or the…

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After a divorce, should my kids be with me or with the mom?

First, you need to understand that you’re asking the wrong question. Child custody is not a zero-sum game; otherwise stated, when parents divorce, or when unmarried parents separate, where you…

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My spouse opens accounts in my name, forges my signature. How to stop it?

My spouse opens accounts in my name, steals checks, forges my signature. How do I get my spouse to stop? Without telling me, my spouse opens store accounts in my…

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I have custody of my child. He’s refusing to come home. What now?

I have custody of my child. He left to go to his mom's last Friday for the weekend. He is refusing to come home because he wants to live there.…

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