Should I be nice to my spouse during a divorce?

That depends on what you mean by “nice”. Do you mean “with kindness”? Not necessarily kindness, but certainly decency. You are morally obligated to treat your spouse with decency, but…

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2020 UT App 21 – UTAH COURT OF APPEALS – common law marriage

2020 UT App 21 - THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JULIE RIVET, Appellant, v. LOUIS HOPPIE, Appellee. Opinion No. 20181018-CA Filed February 13, 2020 First District Court, Logan Department The…

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2020 UT App 14 – UTAH COURT OF APPEALS – QDRO drafting, rule 60(b)

2020 UT App 14 - THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS REGGIE ANN PECK, Appellee v. KEVIN SCOTT PECK, Appellant. Opinion No. 20180732-CA Filed January 24, 2020 First District Court, Logan…

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How does a narcissist continue to fool a family court judge?

How does a narcissist continue to fool a family court judge? How does a narcissist continue to fool a family court judge? Because there's almost never a way to prove…

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What happens if you get caught lying in family court?

I’ve been a divorce and family law attorney for 23 years and gone back and forth over the years on my opinion of how the courts feel about and how…

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How can I get my high-conflict ex to violate any terms of our court order?

How can I get my high-conflict ex to violate any terms of our court order? He operates within the confines of the legal language, but harasses and torments me at…

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Divorcing parents in psychiatric care deny thoughts of self-harm?

Do parents in psychiatric care deny thoughts of self-harm for fear admitting it may impact custody? Is it common for a parent in psychiatric care to make false denials of thoughts…

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Divorce and your mortgage: what to know (guest post)

Divorce and your mortgage: what to know (guest post) “Deciding how to deal with the family home is one of the most important issues to decide upon when there is…

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Should all the kids stay with one parent after a divorce? Why or why not?

I am a divorce and family lawyer. I have been for 23 years. It is impossible to come up with a blanket policy for all children of all parents in…

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2019 UT App 202 – State v. Baize – protective order challenge

2019 UT App 202 - THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, Appellee, v. NATHAN DAVID BAIZE, Appellant. Opinion No. 20180326-CA Filed December 12, 2019 Fourth District Court, American…

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2019 UT App 207 – Peeples v. Peeples – modification of child custody

2019 UT App 207 - THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS ADAM LEGRANDE PEEPLES, Appellee, v. ANNALEISE T. PEEPLES, Appellant. Opinion No. 20180713-CA Filed December 19, 2019 Third District Court, Salt…

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Were Amber Alerts created as a way to solve family custody disputes?

No, not at all. One of the absolute worst ways to address, much less resolve, family custody disputes is seeking an Amber alert. Indeed, making Amber alert reports over child…

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Is it OK to fill out divorce documents by hand in ink, or must they be typed?

It depends upon the court rules of the jurisdiction in which you would be filing your divorce documents are to be filed. In Utah, where I practice divorce and family…

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How is the custody going to work after separation?

After filling for legal separation where is my only child going to stay? I have my child with me right now. How is the custody going to work after separation?…

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Burggraaf v. Burggraaf – 2019 UT App 195 – imputing income, vacating alimony

2019 UT App 195 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS CAROL BURGGRAAF, Appellee, v. BRIAN JOSEPH BURGGRAAF, Appellant. Opinion No. 20180405-CA Filed November 29, 2019 Second District Court, Ogden Department The…

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Can you divorce your spouse even if your spouse does want a divorce?

Yes. This is what is known as “no fault divorce”. Every state in the U.S. has no fault divorce laws. Many people believe that “no fault” divorce means that one…

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Has anyone you know been framed for domestic violence?

I’m a divorce and family lawyer, and so the crimes I see people framed for or manipulated into “committing” are domestic violence types. It’s frighteningly easy to do. Before I…

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Can you tell the judge to award no alimony if both parties agree and settle?

Well, you can’t dictate to your judge as to what your judge will do, but if you and your spouse agree that no alimony will be awarded and then tell…

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Should we put divorcing couples in an adversarial divorce court system?

People who are getting divorced fall into one of two categories: those who want to divorce while doing each other as little harm as possible; and those who don’t care…

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Is it legal to record threatening callers? Are recordings admissible?

You question has two parts. Part 1: can you legally record phone calls (or an in-person conversation)? ANSWER: It depends on the jurisdiction. Some states won’t allow you to record…

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What are some cases that restored your faith in the judiciary?

There are not enough well-conducted and well-decided cases to restore my overall lack of faith in the legal system generally. To be sure, there are very good judges and others…

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Why doesn’t family law immediately use collaborative law practices to reach decisions?

Because 1) paradoxically, those for whom the true collaborative law process would work best are those who really don’t need collaborative law; and 2) “collaborative law” as it is practiced (as opposed to how…

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Why is it common for the custodial parent to villainize the ex to their child?

I don’t know if it is common for one parent in a divorce (custodial or non-custodial) to villainize their ex to the child, but we know it happens frequently and…

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2019 UT App 147 – McQuarrie v. McQuarrie – termination of alimony

2019 UT App 147 – McQuarrie v. McQuarrie THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS MELVIN C. MCQUARRIE, Appellant and Cross-appellee, v. JANETTE COLLEDGE MCQUARRIE, Appellee and Cross-appellant. Opinion No. 20170956-CA Filed…

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Why do courts seem to rule against husbands so unfavorably regarding custody and alimony?

Sometimes a husband/father is legitimately ruled against in a child custody case because he is unfit to exercise custody. Sometimes that unfitness may be his own fault (he’s abusive and/or…

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How do I respond to parental alienation?

What can a parent do if, after the divorce, the other parent who has custody of the child turns the daughter against that parent? A parent in this situation can…

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Do women get sole or primary custody of children by default?

How do you feel about the fact that in divorce, the mother seems to get custody of the child almost by default? Wouldn't it make more sense to have 50/50…

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How did your parents’ divorce when you were a child affect your adult life?

My parents did not divorce, but I base my answer to this question on the experiences of my clients, whether it be how their own children reacted to their divorce…

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Why do abusers sometimes get custody of their children?

Simply (but accurately) put: they may intimidate, shame, and/or fool the other party into settling the custody case such that they agree to the abuser being awarded custody ; their…

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Eberhard v. Eberhard – 2019 UT App 114 – modification of alimony

2019 UT App 114 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS TODD EBERHARD, Appellant, v. LORI ANN EBERHARD, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170721-CA Filed June 27, 2019 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department…

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Hypothetically speaking, would you divorce over adultery, if you have kids?

Not simply because of an affair, no. It is certainly understandable if one desires to divorce a spouse who has committed adultery. The law understands this as well, which is…

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After a divorce, is joint residential custody better or worse for the children?

Let’s indulge an analogy to answer this question. Is sugar good for you, or bad for you? It depends upon the circumstances. An occasional slice of cake or pie is…

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Pulham v. Kirsling – 2018 UT App 65 – custody, parent-time, child support

Pulham v. Kirsling - 2018 UT App 65 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS KRISTEN PULHAM, Appellee, v. WILLIAM KIRSLING, Appellant. Opinion Nos. 20150577-CA and 20160236-CA Filed April 12, 2018 Third…

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How many years is it likely to be before father’s rights are recognized as equal to mother’s rights in child custody cases?

Not many. In fact, in many jurisdictions this has already occurred (many states have, in the past few years, passed laws that presume joint equal custody is in the child’s…

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Is there a “statute of limitations” for seeking child support?

In Utah, yes: Utah Code § 78B-15-109. Limitation on recovery from the obligor. The obligor's liabilities for past support are limited to the period of four years preceding the commencement of…

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Janson v. Janson – 2019 UT App 106 – setting aside settlement agreement

2019 UT App 106 - Janson v. Janson - setting aside stipulation THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DEIDRE SUE JANSON, Appellant, v. JEFFREY ALAN JANSON, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170541-CA Filed…

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Is there a “statute of limitations” for seeking child support?

I can’t speak for all states, but I can answer the question for the state where I practice law (Utah): Utah Code § 78B-15-109. Limitation on recovery from the obligor.…

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Why do some narcissist men not want a woman who works and try to keep her from working?

The answer to your question lies, in part, in the question itself. The dictionary defines narcissism as “selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need…

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Wollsieffer v. Wollsieffer – 2019 UT App 99 – modifying child support

THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS BURRIS WOLLSIEFFER, Appellant, v. HEATHER WOLLSIEFFER, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170645-CA Filed June 6, 2019 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Matthew Bates No.…

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My ex told me I can’t post videos of our children on my social media. What can I do?

I'm a mother of 3. The father has custody and I have visits and overnights. The father told me not to post videos of our children on my social media,…

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2018 UT App 181 – Chaparro v. Torero – default judgment, findings of fact, child custody

2018 UT App 181 – Chaparro v. Torero THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS ELDA CHAPARRO, Appellant, v. ENRIQUE TORERO, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170494-CA Filed September 20, 2018 Second District Court,…

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Nebeker v. Orton – 2019 UT App 23 – child custody and parent-time

Nebeker v. Orton - 2019 UT App 23 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS SHANE NEBEKER, Appellant, v. TRISHA ANN ORTON, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170438-CA Filed February 14, 2019 Sixth District…

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Plan a Parenting Schedule That Works for Your Family – by Ryan Howard

Published with permission and by request of the author: https://smartparentadvice.com/parenting-schedule/

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2019 UT App 83 – Nave Free v. Free – modification of child support

2019 UT App 83 – Nave Free v. Free THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS LINDA LEE NAVE-FREE, Appellee, WENLOCK DUANE FREE JR., Appellant. Opinion No. 20170751-CA Filed May 16, 2019…

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2019 UT App 82 – Blocker v. Blocker – terminating supervised parent-time

2019 UT App 82 – Blocker v. Blocker THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS KIRSTEEN DIDI BLOCKER, Appellee, MICHAEL PHILLIP BLOCKER, Appellant. Opinion No. 20170167-CA Filed May 16, 2019 Fourth District…

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How can I get a divorce if I don’t know where my spouse is?

If I'm married with a child (separated for 4 years), how do I get a divorce and establish a child support order, if I don't know where my spouse is?…

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