Our agreement says no child support, can my ex ask for it anyway?

Can my ex ask for child support? I have a 50/50 custody and no child support divorce agreement, but his mother alienated him against me and now he refuses to visit…

Continue ReadingOur agreement says no child support, can my ex ask for it anyway?

Noel v. James – 2022 UT App 33 – civil stalking injunction

Noel v. James - 2022 UT App 33 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS MICHAEL EARL NOEL, Appellee, v. WILLIAM THOMAS JAMES, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200565-CA Filed March 10, 2022 Sixth…

Continue ReadingNoel v. James – 2022 UT App 33 – civil stalking injunction

Does Utah ORS collect childcare by garnishing a paycheck?

Does the Utah Office of Recovery Services (ORS) collect childcare monthly reimbursement by garnishing a paycheck like it can to collect monthly child support? No.   ORS does and cannot collect…

Continue ReadingDoes Utah ORS collect childcare by garnishing a paycheck?

Erickson v. Erickson – 2022 UT App 27

THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DEAN ERICKSON, Appellee, v. JANICE ERICKSON, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200193-CA Filed March 3, 2022 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Todd M. Shaughnessy…

Continue ReadingErickson v. Erickson – 2022 UT App 27

Hillam v. Hillam – 2022 UT App 24 – final and appealable ruling, rule 54(b)

2022 UT App 24 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JOHN DINSDALE HILLAM, Petitioner, v. TARA HILLAM, Respondent and Appellant, v. DUSTIN HANCOCK AS INVESTMENT TRUSTEE, Respondent and Appellee. Opinion No.…

Continue ReadingHillam v. Hillam – 2022 UT App 24 – final and appealable ruling, rule 54(b)

In re J.L… 2022 UT 12 – termination of parental rights

2022 UT 12  IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF UTAH  STATE OF UTAH, in the Interest of J.A.L. and J.O.L., Persons Under Eighteen Years of Age  J.L. and…

Continue ReadingIn re J.L… 2022 UT 12 – termination of parental rights

Law from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 32: If I could redo the legal system

By Quinton Lister, legal assistant  My boss, Eric Johnson, a divorce attorney, thought it might be a good blog post to write about what I would do if I were…

Continue ReadingLaw from a legal assistant’s point of view, week 32: If I could redo the legal system

In re J.P. – 2021 UT App 134 – termination of parental rights

In re J.P. - 2021 UT App 134 2021 UT App 134 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF J.P. AND T.P., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS…

Continue ReadingIn re J.P. – 2021 UT App 134 – termination of parental rights

2022 UT App 15 – Miller v. DaSilva – protective order objections

2022 UT App 15 - Miller v. DaSilva http://www.utcourts.gov/opinions/view.html?court=appopin&opinion=Miller v. Dasilva20220203_20200719_15.pdf THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS LISA M. MILLER, Appellant, v. AMY ELIZABETH DASILVA, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200719-CA Filed February…

Continue Reading2022 UT App 15 – Miller v. DaSilva – protective order objections

State v. Redden – 2022 UT App 14 – protective orders – enhanced penalties

2022 UT App 14 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, Appellant, v. JOEL CHANCE REDDEN, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200700-CA Filed January 27, 2022 Fifth District Court, Cedar City…

Continue ReadingState v. Redden – 2022 UT App 14 – protective orders – enhanced penalties

What is the basis for everything I have to do for my Utah divorce case?

What is the legal basis for all the hoops I have to jump through in my Utah divorce case? This is a great question. It’s a question I often ask…

Continue ReadingWhat is the basis for everything I have to do for my Utah divorce case?

Do letters vouching for one’s character really matter?

My lawyer asked me to get letters of my character from my friends for family court to introduce as evidence, but do they really matter and is 12 enough? Do…

Continue ReadingDo letters vouching for one’s character really matter?

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…

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

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…

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

Johansen v. Johansen – 2021 UT App 130 – compliance with court rules

2021 UT App 130  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  COLTEN JOHANSEN,  Appellee,  KATHY JOHANSEN,  Appellant.  Opinion  No. 20200234-CA  Filed November 26, 2021  Second District Court, Ogden Department  The Honorable Joseph…

Continue ReadingJohansen v. Johansen – 2021 UT App 130 – compliance with court rules

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 …

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

In re J.P. – 2021 UT App 134 – termination of parental rights

2021 UT App 134  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF J.P. AND T.P., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE.  T.L., Appellant, v. STATE OF…

Continue ReadingIn re J.P. – 2021 UT App 134 – termination of parental rights

The way UT courts conduct custody evaluations nowadays is indefensible

The way courts in Utah conduct custody evaluations nowadays is indefensible. There is nothing in UCJA rule 4-903 (the rule governing custody evaluations) that requires a custody evaluation to consist of little…

Continue ReadingThe way UT courts conduct custody evaluations nowadays is indefensible

Are Licensed Paralegal Practitioners a good idea?

I just received and responded to a survey from Alyx Mark, assistant professor at Wesleyan University and a law and society scholar. After completing the survey, I sent this e-mail to Professor Mark:…

Continue ReadingAre Licensed Paralegal Practitioners a good idea?

Erring on the side of caution is not merely cowardly, it is evil

Erring on the side of caution is not merely cowardly, not merely corrupt, it is evil.  We are to look upon it as more beneficial, that many guilty persons should escape unpunished, than…

Continue ReadingErring on the side of caution is not merely cowardly, it is evil

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…

Continue ReadingChristmas/Winter Break for Parents Under the Utah Code

If two unwed people have a child and split up, is it treated like a divorce?

If two people have a child out of wedlock, and they split up, is it treated like a divorce?  I will answer this question for the jurisdiction of Utah.  The…

Continue ReadingIf two unwed people have a child and split up, is it treated like a divorce?

How do courts insist upon custody evaluations being conducted?

With rare exception in Utah (so rare that it might as well be non-existent), the way courts insist upon custody evaluations being conducted consists of: the court imposing one and…

Continue ReadingHow do courts insist upon custody evaluations being conducted?

The Protective Order Deception

We all know that a protective order provides little to no substantive protection for the purported victim. The joke around the legal profession is that when a bullet, blade, bat, or fist is headed your…

Continue ReadingThe Protective Order Deception

What are the divorce laws in Utah?

I don’t want to appear immodest, but honestly, my book is probably the best source in one volume:  https://store.legal.thomsonreuters.com/law-products/Treatises/Utah-Family-Law-2020-2021-ed-Vol-2-Utah-Practice-Series/p/106664782  You can also find the laws governing Utah divorce and family…

Continue ReadingWhat are the divorce laws in Utah?

Why isn’t there a child support debit card, so the funds can be tracked and itemized to prevent mismanagement?

In Utah, such a thing can be done, but I have never, in 24 years of practice, seen it ordered or agreed to (I’ve heard rumors that some parents have…

Continue ReadingWhy isn’t there a child support debit card, so the funds can be tracked and itemized to prevent mismanagement?

How Courts Can (and often do) Ensure There’s No Proof Joint Equal Custody Can Work

Here is an example of an important gotcha factor to be on guard against, if you are a good father being forced by the legal system to fight for joint…

Continue ReadingHow Courts Can (and often do) Ensure There’s No Proof Joint Equal Custody Can Work

I’m a child whose parents are divorcing and fighting over custody. What can I do?

I’m 15, about to be 16, and my parents are getting a divorce. My father has full custody, but he doesn't want to take me to court to present my…

Continue ReadingI’m a child whose parents are divorcing and fighting over custody. What can I do?

When a restraining order expires, is there some documentation that the respondent can get to prove the expiration?

In Utah, the answer to your question would be: Yes, in the form of the restraining order itself. The restraining order itself states that “[t]he order shall expire by its…

Continue ReadingWhen a restraining order expires, is there some documentation that the respondent can get to prove the expiration?

In Utah is there a minimum age at which minor children can be left at home or allowed to walk to school by themselves?

No. There is no minimum age at which child can be left unsupervised in Utah. Child and Family Services uses the following definition to evaluate each situation: Non-Supervision – The…

Continue ReadingIn Utah is there a minimum age at which minor children can be left at home or allowed to walk to school by themselves?

McQuarrie v. McQuarrie – 2021 UT 22 – termination of continuation of alimony

MCQUARRIE v. MCQUARRIE - 2021 UT 22 In the Supreme Court of Utah. Melvin C. MCQUARRIE, Appellant, v. Janette Colledge MCQUARRIE aka Janette Kendall, Appellee. No. 20190902-SC Heard March 5,…

Continue ReadingMcQuarrie v. McQuarrie – 2021 UT 22 – termination of continuation of alimony

In re Z.C. W. – 2021 UT App 98 – Utah Court of Appeals

In re Z.C.W. - 2021 UT App 98  THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS  STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF Z.C.W. AND C.C.W.,  PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE.  R.D., Appellant, v.  C.L.W., Appellee.  Opinion  No. 20200039-CA  Filed September 23, 2021  Third District…

Continue ReadingIn re Z.C. W. – 2021 UT App 98 – Utah Court of Appeals

If the father got the child custody, will the mom pay for child support?

In Utah, the answer is: it’s likely that Mom will pay child support to Dad. Generally, unless the primary joint custodial parents makes orders of magnitude more than the other…

Continue ReadingIf the father got the child custody, will the mom pay for child support?

What happens to a child support order if both parents move out of the country?

Unless the child support order provides for a change in the child support obligation or benefit in the event and due to the parents moving out of the country, then…

Continue ReadingWhat happens to a child support order if both parents move out of the country?

How can I get an emergency hearing for custody and child support?

I will answer this question based upon the law of the jurisdiction where I practice family law (Utah). So the question is: How can I get an emergency hearing for…

Continue ReadingHow can I get an emergency hearing for custody and child support?

What is the success rate of having a court-appointed legal aid?

I don’t know, and I doubt that statistics are kept on such a question. If there are such statistics, I do not know of them.  Generally, the reputation appointed counsel…

Continue ReadingWhat is the success rate of having a court-appointed legal aid?

Does saying after an answer “I truly believe that”, “it truly is”, damage your credibility as a lay witness in court or is it better to don’t add this type of qualifiers?

First, whether you “truly believe” something or “find it hard to believe,” testifying to something you believe or don’t believe, as opposed to testifying as to something you know, is…

Continue ReadingDoes saying after an answer “I truly believe that”, “it truly is”, damage your credibility as a lay witness in court or is it better to don’t add this type of qualifiers?

Would you support changing the law in each and every single U.S. state to make it crystal-clear that people have an unlimited insurable interest in their own child support obligations as well as in their family members’ child support obligations?

No.  I do support that idea that one’s own child support entitlement should be an insurable interest in the amount of the entitlement itself (meaning that if you are the…

Continue ReadingWould you support changing the law in each and every single U.S. state to make it crystal-clear that people have an unlimited insurable interest in their own child support obligations as well as in their family members’ child support obligations?

Are mothers being treated “worse” by the legal system these days, with more and more states leaning toward awarding joint custody to fathers more and more?

No, mothers are not being treated "worse" by the legal system these days, with more and more states leaning toward awarding joint custody to fathers more. Mothers do not have…

Continue ReadingAre mothers being treated “worse” by the legal system these days, with more and more states leaning toward awarding joint custody to fathers more and more?