In Smith v. Smith, the applicable date for determining whether assets and liabilities are classified as marital or nonmarital was the date of the filing of the petition for dissolution of marriage. Assets and liabilities not in existence on that date should not be classified as marital. Thus, the equitable distribution scheme that the trial […]
Drouin v. Stuber
In Drouin v. Stuber (a paternity case), the mother sought to vacate a 2011 judgment that had declared another man to be biological father despite the fact that the child had been born during an intact marriage. The appellate court reversed the order setting aside the earlier order, because it was the legal father’s rights […]
Elias v. Elias
According to Elias v. Elias, the child support guidelines are the starting point for determining temporary child support, just as they are for final child support orders. After calculating a guideline amount based on each parent’s net monthly income and the children’s need for support, the trial court may deviate from the guideline amount based […]
Richeson v. Richeson
According to Richeson v. Richeson, a court has no authority to partition jointly-held property in the absence of the parties’ agreement or a specific pleading requesting partition. Richeson v Richeson
Stantcheva v. Stantcheva
Stantchev v. Stantcheva is an equitable distribution case based upon the date of valuation. Two months before the date of filing the Husband had made a transfer from a marital account in the U.S. to a marital account in Bulgaria, and during the transfer and exchange of the funds from U.S. Dollars to Bulgarian leva […]
Suleiman v. Yunis
In Suleiman v. Yunis, the Former Husband had obtained an ex parte order changing the children’s custody to him. The Former Wife moved to vacate, which was denied by the trial court. This was error. Former Wife correctly argued that Former Husband did not allege that the children were being threatened with physical harm or […]
How to properly relocate from the State of Florida when you have children.
Florida sets out the requirements for relocation within Florida Statute § 61.13001. This statute applies to you if your intended relocation destination is 50 miles, or more, away from the last residence that you used in establishing your timesharing, or at the time of the filing of such a petition. Moreover, this statute also applies […]
Before, During and After the Divorce
You’re getting a divorce. Divorce is often a long, emotional, stressful process. Many times, people are so focused on the divorce process that they forget about the parts of their life that will not be covered in the divorce proceedings. Matters such as health care directives and estate planning will likely not be fully addressed […]
Retirement Accounts in Divorce: Assets or Income?
According to Florida law, retirement accounts can be treated as both an asset AND a source of income for alimony purposes. So, in the context of seeking alimony modification due to retirement, courts are correct to look at retirement accounts now in pay (distribution) status as sources of income for the alimony payor, even though […]
How Does Alimony In Florida Work?
Florida sets out the parameters for Alimony within Florida Statute § 61.08. When determining whether your case is subject to an award of alimony, there are many different factors to consider. Right now alimony, unlike child support, is not a black and white calculation. The analysis is more subjective and in general “need based.” To […]