This week, NPR ran an interesting piece on how “Smartphones Are Used To Stalk and Control Domestic Abuse Victims,” explaining the danger of how someone can secretly spy on you through your electronic devices and social media such as a smartphone, tablet or computer from a distance in order to gain power over the other person, particularly when it relates to Domestic Violence. Typically, this type … [Read more...] about Using Smartphones in Divorce and Custody Disputes: the Good, Bad and Ugly
Lehigh Valley Family Law
The Birds, the Bees and the Bewares: Paternity in Pennsylvania
What happens if I am legally married to someone and get pregnant with my new partner? Anyone can be married to one person and get pregnant by a new person. However, the difficulty in the law arises in establishing your new partner’s paternity or parentage of their own biological child when you are married. In Pennsylvania, a child born or conceived during the course of the marriage is presumed to … [Read more...] about The Birds, the Bees and the Bewares: Paternity in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Takes Major Step Down The Aisle to Marriage Equality, Brings Many Legal Changes for LGBT Couples
Yesterday, May 20, 2014, a federal judge struck down Pennsylvania’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples, ruling that it unconstitutionally discriminates against lesbians and gay men. Judge Jones’s order directs the Commonwealth to permit same-sex couples to marry and to recognize valid out-of-state marriages. The lawsuit, Whitewood v. Wolf, was filed on behalf of a widow, 11 couples who wish to … [Read more...] about Pennsylvania Takes Major Step Down The Aisle to Marriage Equality, Brings Many Legal Changes for LGBT Couples
No Extension to 1-year Return Rule Under the Hague Convention
U.S. Supreme Court ‘s March 5 decision in Lozano v. Alvarez held that equitable tolling principles do not apply to the 1-year provision for mandatory return of the child. Proceedings Under the Convention The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, signed by the United States in 1988, establishes a procedure for parents to petition to return a child to his or her … [Read more...] about No Extension to 1-year Return Rule Under the Hague Convention
Same-Sex Couples in Pennsylvania: “Wed-Locked?”
Same-Sex Couples’ Legal Rights In Pennsylvania As of today, seventeen states plus the District of Columbia recognize gay marriage; eight of these states legalized gay marriage in 2013. Several states have also expanded the legal rights available to same-sex couples through domestic partnerships and civil unions. This trend has gained momentum since the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June, 2013 to … [Read more...] about Same-Sex Couples in Pennsylvania: “Wed-Locked?”
Til Death Do U.S. Part: DOMA No Longer Impedes Same-sex Couples from Living in the U.S. Together
While the Supreme Court’s rejection of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, “DOMA” does little to expand the rights of same-sex couples residing in Pennsylvania, as it relates to immigration, same-sex couples may now share the same benefits as their heterosexual counterparts. In defining “marriage” to be between one man and one woman and “spouse” as a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or … [Read more...] about Til Death Do U.S. Part: DOMA No Longer Impedes Same-sex Couples from Living in the U.S. Together
