North Carolina Divorce Lawyers Blog

Articles Posted in Children

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Marecic v. Baker, 2023-NCCOA-______ (2023) (unpublished).

  • Facts: The case involved a dispute between the Plaintiff and Defendant, who are the biological parents of a minor child named R.J.M. The parties never married but purchased real estate in North Carolina and Florida during their relationship. Defendant had two older children from a previous marriage. Initially, they lived together with the children in North Carolina. Their relationship ended in January 2017, and Defendant and her two children moved to an apartment while Plaintiff stayed in their property. Despite the separation, they shared custody of R.J.M., with Plaintiff covering most of Defendant’s living expenses and expenses related to all the children. Actions commenced in December 2018 when Plaintiff filed for child custody, child support, attorney’s fees, and alternative dispute resolution. Defendant responded with a complaint for various matters, and the cases were consolidated. Temporary child custody orders were issued in March and July 2019, followed by a permanent child custody order in May 2021, granting shared custody on a rotating schedule. In May 2022, the trial court issued a child support order, and in June 2022, Defendant’s attorney filed for attorney’s fees. In August 2022, the trial court ordered Plaintiff to pay for some of defendant’s legal expenses. Plaintiff appealed.

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IN RE: H.G., 2023-NCCOA-______ (2023) (unpublished).

Facts:

In June 2012, the respondent adopted Heather, along with her older sisters Sally and Ellen. In a prior legal proceeding, allegations of improper discipline led to the adjudication of neglect and dependency for Heather, and abuse, neglect, and dependency for Sally and Ellen. Continue reading →

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Rose v. Powell, 2023-NCCOA-______ (2023).

  • Facts: Plaintiffs were the biological grandparents of the minor child in this case. Plaintiffs’ son, Jacob Chandler Rose, unexpectedly passed away. At the time of his death, the Defendant, Jacob’s wife, was pregnant with Jacob’s child, later named Aubrey, born on April 30, 2019. The Plaintiffs embraced their role as grandparents to Aubrey and spent time together, forming a close bond until May 2021. During this period, they assisted the Defendant with legal matters related to social security claims and provided financial support for Aubrey’s baptism. However, in May 2021, the Defendant severed contact between the Plaintiffs and Aubrey, resulting in a cessation of visitation. The Plaintiffs responded by seeking secondary custody of Aubrey on November 29, 2021. The Defendant, on February 2, 2022, filed a motion to dismiss and countered with requests for temporary and permanent custody, along with child support arrangements. The case was heard on August 15, 2022, the court issued an order dismissing the case. The Plaintiffs appealed this decision.

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Extracting text messages from an iPhone and converting them into a PDF format involves a series of steps. Please note that this process typically requires third-party software, but it has the potential to be extremely useful for your case. Continue reading →

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911 records can be valuable exhibits for the court in your case, whether that is custody, domestic violence, or anything else related. Here are ways to obtain a redacted form of the records on your own:

To request 911 records in Greensboro, North Carolina, you’ll need to provide specific information depending on the type of record you’re seeking: Continue reading →

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Our Family Wizard (OFW) is one of many comprehensive co-parenting communication and organization platforms designed to support families going through divorce or separation. It serves as a centralized hub for parents to manage various aspects of co-parenting, ensuring smoother and more efficient cooperation while prioritizing the best interests of their children. While other apps exist, most of the time our practice encounters OFW. Continue reading →

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Divorce is rarely simple, and when children are involved the complexities can intensify. Child support is one of the most critical aspects that parents need to consider during the separation process. A recent North Carolina case, Bishop v. Bishop, sheds light on some crucial issues that can arise in child support matters, especially for high net-worth parents. Continue reading →

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IN THE MATTER OF: E.Q.B., M.Q.B., S.R.R.B., 2023-NCCOA-______ (2023) 


Sometimes a parent will commit an act of domestic violence against the other parent or involving the child. In these cases, a domestic violence protective order (DVPO) can be entered to cut off contact between the offender and the parent/child. Subsequently, if the offender then faces a petition to terminate his/her parental rights, then that DVPO cannot be used as a shield to prevent the termination, so long as the grounds are factually established.  Continue reading →

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Aside from equitable distribution, divorce cases often involve three common financially-centered elements – alimony, child support, and attorney fees. The Wadsworth case argues all three of these issues and is an excellent example of how complicated these matters can be.  Continue reading →

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Few family law matters are as contentious as child custody or as distressing as child abuse. Custody battles between biological parents can become intense as parties sometimes passionately disagree about what’s best for their child. These disputes increase in complexity when third parties seek custody due to parental neglect or abuse.   Continue reading →