Williams v. Johnson, 2022-NCCOA-120 (2022) (unpublished). Facts: Mother and Father were in a custody case over their minor child. On April 28, 2017, Mother was awarded primary custody, and Father received visitation. A few years later, on August 11, 2020, the trial court modified the custody but later vacated their…
North Carolina Divorce Lawyers Blog
Alienation of Affection, an Expensive Proposition
Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant King v. Huizar (In re Huizar), 609 BR 482 Only a handful of states still recognize alienation of affection and criminal conversation as actionable torts. North Carolina is one of those states. These claims have their roots in old English law, where a man could essentially…
No-Fault Divorce in the United Kingdom
Imagine separating from your husband but never filing for divorce. Now imagine separating from your husband, never filing for divorce, and learning years later that you had actually been divorced for approximately 12 years. This is exactly what happened to a woman living in the United Kingdom. Rachpal and…
Understanding Alimony
Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant Williams v. Williams, 261 S.E.2d 849 (1980) Alimony (also called spousal support in North Carolina) is a form of financial support awarded during a divorce proceeding and serves as a means to assist a dependent spouse post marriage. A “dependent spouse” is a person substantially reliant…
Henry Frye: Trailblazer in Law and Life
By: Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant In celebration of Black History Month, Woodruff Family Law Group wants to shine a light on important contributions to African American advancement in the legal world and on the civil rights movement in general. It would be difficult to have that discussion without mentioning former…
Separation Agreements as Contracts
Wooten v. Wooten, III, 2022-NCCOA-121, (unpublished). Here in North Carolina, separation agreements are treated the same as contracts. This means the parties can be more flexible with their terms and agreements, not necessarily confined to the stricter terms that a court order would typically proscribe. One such provision is the…
A Tribute to Ida B. Wells, American Hero
In honor of Black History Month, we reflect on the lasting impact that activist and journalist Ida B. Wells had on the women’s suffrage movement and the anti-lynching movement. Ida was born into slavery in 1862 in Mississippi. With the end of the Civil War in 1865, slavery was…
Kim and Kanye: Custody Battle via Social Media
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s custody battle involving their four children has begun to heat up. When Kim first filed for divorce early last year, both Kim and Kanye agreed that they should share joint custody of their four children. Now, it appears the couple is a long way from…
U.S. Mint Releases Maya Angelou Quarter
By Wayne Hopper, Guest Blogger In an exciting first, the U.S. Mint is rolling out its much-anticipated American Women Quarters Program. The 2022 release of the program begins circulation this month and features five women from various backgrounds who have been influential in American society and to humanity. The five…
Child Custody and COVID-19 Vaccines
As COVID-19 persists in our daily lives, the war on vaccines rages on. Many parents continue to disagree about vaccination status concerning themselves and their minor children. Two parents who currently reside in New Brunswick, Canada, have found themselves in a heated disagreement with each other over vaccines and sought…