Bradley v. Bradley, No. COA20-48 (unpublished) Plaintiff and Defendant married on May 20, 2006 and divorced on July 15, 2015. The parties had one daughter born March 7, 2011. The parties’ daughter was three years old when the original custody order was entered. Defendant filed a motion to modify…
Articles Posted in ClientVille
Delay of Entry of Order is Error
Wall v. Wall, 140 N.C. App. 303 (2000). Former spouses in North Carolina can split their property in an action for Equitable Distribution (ED). In order for the Court to make a decision on distributing property, it needs an inventory affidavit of all property owned as a product of the…
Life Insurance, Separation Agreements, and Future Support for Children
Suppose that you are recently separated or divorced and have minor children. Should you have a life insurance policy in place to ensure sufficient resources are available to provide for your children if you suddenly die? What factors must you consider before taking out a life insurance policy to benefit…
Same-Sex Couples and 50B Domestic Violence
M.E. v. T.J., ___ N.C. App. ___ (2020). Domestic Violence Protection Orders (DVPO) are under chapter 50B in North Carolina. They are sought by complaining parties when they are the victims of violence. But under this section, in order to seek a DVPO, a complaining party must first claim domestic…
Civil Contempt and Child Custody
In Chica v. Chica, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, reviewed Plaintiff Father’s appeal of the trial court’s December 6, 2018 Order finding him in civil contempt and establishing purge conditions. Plaintiff Father also appealed the trial court’s April 2019 Order denying, in part, Plaintiff’s Motion…
Child Custody and Excusable Neglect
In Price v. Boccardy, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, reviewed Defendant’s appeal from the trial court’s order denying Defendant’s Rule 60(b) motion to set aside a final custody order. Price v. Boccardy, COA20-127 (N.C. App 2020). Facts: Plaintiff and Defendant were the parents of a minor…
Decision-Making in Child Custody
Ward v. Halprin, ___ N.C. App. ____. Child custody has the potential to be heavily contested. In some cases, one parent wants to be able to have sole decision-making authority. In North Carolina, the ability to make these decisions is termed “legal custody.” Courts often grant parents joint legal custody.…
Guardianship of Minors in North Carolina
In the Matter of R.D.B., A Minor Child (No. COA19-1019) Many children in Guilford County have guardians appointed by the court for a variety of reasons. A child who no longer has any living biological parents is a common example of when a court will appoint an adult to…
DVPOs and Claimant Credibility
In Reece v. Holt, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, reviewed N.C.G.S. Chapter 50 for child custody and subject matter jurisdiction. Plaintiff Father claimed that an ex parte order established a “presumption” supporting a claim for domestic violence under N.C.G.S. § 50B. This article will focus…
COVID Vaccines and Child Custody – Who Decides?
The recent rollouts of the COVID-19 vaccines have revealed differences of opinion as to who will and who will not take the vaccine. When you are separated or divorced, who decides for the children? North Carolina General Statutes 130A-156 and 130A-157 permit parents to exempt their children from vaccinations for…