Modifying Final Judgments Part II:

Don’t just settle to get this over…Get it right the first time and fight for what you want in your divorce or paternity case right now. Last week, we discussed the fact that equitable distribution judgments are generally non-modifiable. This week we will examine modification of custody orders. Fla. Stat. 61.13(3) states, “…A determination of […]

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Stusch vs. Jiruska

In Stusch vs. Jiruska, the appellate court reversed and remanded an order finding the former husband in Contempt because the trial court erred in not granting a continuance and conducting a hearing without the former husband present. The trial court should have granted a continuance based upon the pro se letter from the former husband […]

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Taylor v. Taylor

Taylor v Taylor In Taylor v. Taylor, the 2d DCA reverses an award of durational, rather than permanent, alimony. The identified problem essentially was twofold, but really comes down to an absence of statutory findings. There is a lack of findings necessary to support the use of durational rather than permanent alimony, and the amount […]

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Fall Edition 2015

For this fall edition of the Men’s Rights Blog, in the spirit of Halloween, the following is a list of what to do, and not to do, during family law litigation. Although this list may be obvious to some, it is SCARY how often these things happen, and therefore they need to be mentioned. With […]

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Bailey v. Bailey

Bailey v. Bailey concerned the granting by the trial court of a motion for psychosocial and substance abuse evaluation. The Appellate court quashed the order because the motion was filed the same day as the hearing, and thus there was inadequate notice. The evidence that was adduced suggested that some type of psychological evaluation might […]

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The Future of Alimony in Florida

On September 10, 2015, Florida Senator Tom Lee filed an alimony reform bill with the legislature for its consideration during the 2016 legislative session, which begins in January 2016. The bill, as filed, is largely identical to the alimony reform bill that Senator Lee filed before the 2015 legislative session. The 2015 bill never made […]

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Sikora v. Sikora

In Sikora v. Sikora, several errors required reversal and remand: In the absence of special circumstances, permanent, periodic alimony in an amount that exceeds the former wife’s established need is error. The trial court erred by imputing income to the former wife from her retirement accounts where there was no evidence to support the imputation. […]

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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 […]

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