In re I.C. – 2025 UT App 20 – thinking of smuggling a child instead of adoption?
In re I.C. - 2025 UT App 20 2025 UT App 20 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF I.C., A PERSON UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS…
How much does a parent have to pay in child support? What is the legally set amount?
Some people believe that child support is the same for all parents. They believe that every parent who is ordered to pay child support pays the same amount of money…
Obstacles Fathers Face in Trying to Get Joint Custody of Their Children
I have been asked by a reader to answer two questions. The first: whether I believe courts generally apply a double standard in the treatment of mothers and fathers when…
Blake v. Smith – 2023 UT App 78 – child custody, child support
Blake v. Smith - 2023 UT App 78 2023 UT App 78 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DEJUAN BLAKE, Appellee, v. JILLYN SMITH, Appellant. Opinion No. 20210779-CA Filed July 20,…
How Can I Win Custody of My Son if I Haven’t Been There for Him for Ten Years?
About the only ways I can realistically imagine? The child’s other parent: - is dead; or - is unfit to be entrusted with the care and custody of the child.…
If a Mom Is Abusing Her Children, and the Dad Doesn’t Want Sole Custody Because Child Support Is Cheaper, What Can the Court Do?
Thank you for your question, and forgive me for approaching this question in a way that may not answer your question as directly as it could be; I hope you…
Thayne v. Thayne – 2022 UT App 122 – Change of Circumstances
2022 UT App 122 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STEPHANIE THAYNE, Appellee, v. DEVIN THAYNE, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200598-CA Filed November 3, 2022 Second District Court, Ogden Department The Honorable…
Can I gain full custody if I’m bipolar?
I don't want anything to do with my child's father. Can I gain full custody if I'm bipolar? First, thank you for being so candid and blunt. This is a…
How can I better understand the importance of marriage?
As a child with divorced parents, I find it hard to answer questions such as, “What is the importance of marriage?” How can I better understand the importance of marriage?…
How does being a child of divorce change the way you approach marriage?
I saw something on Facebook recently that is applicable here. Two brothers had followed divergent paths into adulthood. One was a lonely alcoholic bum. The other was a successful and…
How easy is it to change your child’s last name?
I cannot answer this question as it applies in all jurisdictions, but I can answer the question as it applies in the jurisdiction where I practice divorce and family law…
What kind of “damage” can untreated BPD in a parent cause children?
What kind of "damage" can an untreated single parent with BPD/shared custody/ cause to the kids in the long term? Plenty. Children of BPD parents often struggle with trusting others…
How do I best explain to my daughters that I am divorcing their stepmom?
What is the best way for me to explain to my 3 daughters that the reason in which I am divorcing their Assistant Prosecutor stepmother is because I wouldn’t let…
Why should I pay child support if the other parent isn’t asking for it (and doesn’t need it)?
This question doesn’t come up very often, but it does come up. I will answer this question according to the law of Utah, which is the jurisdiction where I practice…
Why is it difficult for a father to get child custody?
Why is it difficult for a father to get child custody? Because there is a pernicious and false belief in far too many of the courts (not, notably, in society…
What’s the difference between legal custody and physical custody?
Here's a question many parents have: what is the legal definition of “joint legal custody” and “joint physical custody” in Utah when it comes to the custody of children? Is…
Velasquez v. Chavez – 2019 UT App 185 – child surname
2019 UT App 185 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DARIO ARTHUR VELASQUEZ, Appellant, v. STACY L. CHAVEZ, Appellee. Opinion No. 20180451-CA Filed November 15, 2019 Third District Court, Salt Lake…
Have you ever doubted that your child was actually yours and decided not to find out if true?
No, but over the course of my career as a family lawyer I have spoken to several men who suspected they might not be the biological father of children they…
Can I use Ancestry.com to prove or disprove paternity?
Question: Can I use Ancestry.com to order child support? Answer: I think you’re asking whether you can use a commercial DNA testing service to prove in court that you are…
I had a child from an affair but my husband is raising the baby and is on the birth certificate, can the other man get custody of my child?
I had a child from an affair but my husband is raising the baby and is on the birth certificate, can the other man get custody of my child? I…
