Small v. Small – 2024 UT App 173 URE 408 and statute of frauds

Small v. Small - 2024 UT App 173 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS NATHAN DALE SMALL, Appellant, v. TRISHA DAWN SMALL, Appellee. Opinion No. 20230487-CA Filed November 29, 2024 First…

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2024 UT App 84 – Corn v. Groce – Modification of Parent-Time or Custody

2024 UT App 84 - Corn v. Groce THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JANETTE CORN, Appellee, v. BLAKE GROCE, Appellant. Opinion No. 20220526-CA Filed May 31, 2024 Second District Court,…

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2024 UT App 91 – In re R.D. – Juvenile Court Jurisdiction – Parental Presumption

2024 UT App 91 – In re R.D. THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS IN THE INTEREST OF R.D. AND Z.J., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. K.J., Appellant, v. N.J.…

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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…

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In re R.G. – 2023 UT App 144 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS

STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF R.G., A PERSON UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. G.G., Appellant, v. STATE OF UTAH, Appellee. Opinion No. 20220635-CA Filed November 24, 2023 Second…

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I’m a US citizen. I got divorced overseas. I have a child custody from an overseas country. What should I do to legalize the overseas court order in the US?

Confer with an attorney in the jurisdiction where you and/or the other parent now reside who has knowledge and experience with registering foreign divorce and child custody orders in the…

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In re G.H. – 2023 UT App 132 – juvenile court grandparent guardianship

THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STATE OF UTAH, IN THE INTEREST OF G.H. AND R.H., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. L.G., Appellant, v. R.G. AND R.G., Appellees. Opinion No. 20220920-CA…

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I have a family court hearing coming up on the 25th. How do I create a proposed visitation plan to the judges? How will our work schedules play into this? I’m the non-custodial parent.

Your question is too vague to understand and answer. You need to consult with an attorney in your jurisdiction to get the correct answers to your questions (both the questions…

Continue ReadingI have a family court hearing coming up on the 25th. How do I create a proposed visitation plan to the judges? How will our work schedules play into this? I’m the non-custodial parent.

John v. John – 2023 UT App 103

John v. John - 2023 UT App 103 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS LUCAS ALLEN JOHN, Appellee, v. CASSANDRA KATHLEEN JOHN, Appellant. Opinion No. 20210506-CA Filed September 14, 2023 Third…

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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…

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The Father of My Child Has Visitation Rights Ordered by Court, Yet He Will Be in a Different State During His Visitation Time, but Wants His Aunt to Take Over. Do I Have to Allow His Aunt Visitation While He’s on Vacation?

This is a good question and one that arises frequently in one form or another; a parent either can’t or won’t provide personal care and supervision of the parties’ children…

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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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Do Abusive Parents Get Custody of Their Children? Can Relatives Get Custody Instead?

Do abusive parents get sole custody of their children, even when their children don’t want them to have it? If the children want to stay with a relative who can…

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U.S. Marriage and Divorce Statistics

My name is Stephanie from flingorlove.com and honestly, I usually wouldn't bother emailing about this, but I researched and gathered as much data and stats as I could about various divorce statistics…

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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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What to do when child won’t comply with the custody award?

What will happen if the court ruled in favor of a mother to have the custody of her child but the child refuses to go with her and she prefers…

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How do I pursue child visitation when I don’t know where the child is?

I’m preparing to begin pursuing child visitation. However, the child’s mother has moved and never told me where, and has cut off contact with me. How can I find out…

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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 do I get custody back of my child if the custodial parent is not keeping the child safe?

The best way to phrase this question is as follows, “How do I get an order awarding custody of our child to me, if I assert as the basis for…

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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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What are some cases of extended relatives getting visitation rights with children? 

In Utah, that question has been thoroughly discussed on the subject of grandparent visitation rights in the case of Jones v. Jones. and if you don’t want to read the…

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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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Does a spouse have the right to see a DUI report?

First, if you are referring to a police report of a DUI citation and/or arrest, in most jurisdictions such records are public record, and thus available not only to your…

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Does a spouse have the right to see a DUI report?

Does a spouse have the right to see a DUI report? First, if you are referring to a police report of a DUI citation and/or arrest, in most jurisdictions such…

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Good news, for parents deserving of joint equal physical custody

Good news, apparently, for parents deserving of joint equal physical custody of their children but who have, up until now, been fighting an unfair, unnecessarily uphill battle. The Utah Legislature passed,…

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Being prepared for the parent who tries to interfere with vacations with your kids

Being prepared for the parent who tries to interfere with vacations with your kids Hi Eric,  Every  year I take the kids on a spring break trip, sometimes out of the country. It's been on the…

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What are suggestions for modifying child custody for an alternating weekend schedule if Monday drop-offs are removed and weekdays are not an option?

What are suggestions for modifying child custody for an alternating weekend schedule if Monday drop-offs are removed and weekdays are not an option? Is this a trick question? Correct me…

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Are all lawyers psychopaths? What is it like to be a divorce lawyer?

Are all lawyers psychopaths? No, although social science research repeatedly finds that law is one of the top professions to which psychopaths are drawn (it’s #1 or #2 on most…

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Thomas v. Thomas – 2021 UT App – contempt, modification of custody

Thomas v. Thomas - 2021 UT App 2021 UT App 8 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS JEREMY THOMAS, Appellant, v. JODY TASKER THOMAS, Appellee. Opinion No. 20190242-CA Filed January 22,2021…

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2020 UT App 171 – Miller v. Miller THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS RYAN MILLER, Appellant, v. BRENDA MILLER, Appellee

2020 UT App 171 - Miller v. Miller THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS RYAN MILLER, Appellant, BRENDA MILLER, Appellee. Opinion No. 20190748-CA Filed December 24, 2020 Second District Court, Farmington…

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Will my medical marijuana prescription adversely affect my child custody case?

If I have a prescription for marijuana, will this affect my custody case? I do not smoke in front of my child or have it around my child. Probably not,…

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2020 Changes to Fall Break parent-time in Utah Code

When the fall school break parent-time period begins was a common question that the Utah State legislature addressed in the 2020 legislative session by making a clarifying change to the…

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What is the “right of first refusal”? Is it a statutory right in Utah?

What is the "right of first refusal"? Is it a statutory right in Utah? Many of you dealing with child custody disputes may have heard the time "right of first…

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Second and Third Judicial District Court COVID-19 Guidelines as of April 6, 2020

Second and Third Judicial District Court COVID-19 Guidelines as of April 6, 2020: Second District NOTICE REGARDING DOMESTIC CASES AND COVID-19 As commissioners in the Second District Court, we anticipate…

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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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Why don’t the police help more with custody and parent-time enforcement?

In some jurisdictions, interference with or noncompliance with child custody orders issued by a court are not enforceable by police officers or sheriff’s deputies because there is no statute or statutes…

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Why can a child refuse to live with a parent as court ordered?

Why is it OK to allow a 14-year-old child to deny one parent access to him/her without any reason, but it is kidnapping if the child were to refuse to…

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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 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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Can I Get the Court to Force My NPD Spouse to Be Tested?

Should I attempt to / is it possible to have my court order my NPD to undergo psychological testing before he can get access to our child? First, let’s break…

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

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 Court, Richfield Department The…

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Child Custody: what does it mean in divorce, and what factors determine who gets child custody?

One of the biggest worries (perhaps the biggest) for a parent going through divorce is the question of child custody. A common misperception is that “child custody” means simply who…

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Parent-Time During the Holiday Season 2018

Parent-Time During the Holiday Season 2018 The holiday season is upon us, and many divorced and single parents need to prepare and plan for your holiday season parent-time this time…

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Can a court force a parent to exercise visitation, even if that parent doesn’t want to?

If a divorced parent doesn’t want visitation rights (i.e. doesn’t want to see his/her child), is that legal, or would the court order the unwilling parent to have visits? This…

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Lay v. Lay – 2018 UT App 137 – § 30-3-35.1 parent-time not mandatory

2018 UT App 137 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS BRANDON CHRISTOPHER LAY, Appellant, v. CORINNA NICOLE LAY, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170230-CA Filed July 12, 2018 Third District Court, West Jordan…

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