Imagine availing yourself of all the advancements in reproductive technology in order to conceive the child you thought you may never have just to have the courts say you haven’t earned the title of “Mom.” That is exactly what has happened to a Union County couple now fighting to update…
Divorce not only separates the nuclear family – father, mother, child – but it can have ramifications for the extended family as well. The grandparent/grandchild relationship is one that can often suffer from the dissolution of a marriage. Since the 1970s, a number of states have passed laws recognizing grandparents’…
A New Jersey statute designed to protect the rights of non-custodial parents and their children and maintain their relationship may have unfairly affected the rights of custodial parents, but case law is changing to address this inequity. This situation came to light recently in the case of Morgan v. Morgan,…
When actress Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry called it quits last April, reports claimed the split was amicable. The couple was even seen enjoying outings together with their young daughter. Now, however, the two are involved in a bitter custody battle. With each flinging accusations aimed at proving the other…
Social Security insurance provides survivor benefits for dependent children of deceased workers to help compensate for the loss of financial support. Dependent children are defined as unmarried and under age 18 (19 if still full-time high school students). But are children conceived after the death of a parent eligible for…
Some 220 children from New Jersey’s foster program found their “forever” homes this week when their adoptions were finalized in court procedures throughout the State. (1) November is recognized as National Adoption Month. In celebration of this, counties throughout the State held a series of activities sponsored in a cooperative…
Hanover Direct Inc., a Weehawken, NJ company, has agreed to recall approximately 495,000 roman shades and 28,500 blinds following reports of the accidental death of a 22-month-old toddler from Cedar Falls, IO. Meanwhile, the blind industry is working to develop better standards for manufacturing safer window coverings in an effort…
Can schools dictate student behavior when classes are not in session? That’s the basis for a court battle between parents and the Haddonfield School District. At issue is the District’s “24/7 Policy” which states underage students caught drinking will be barred from sports and other extra-curricular activities. (1) The school…
A State lawmaker has introduced a new bill that would amend New Jersey’s Graduated Driver’s License program to provide teens with more training and require parental involvement before those teens could obtain their driver’s licenses. (1) This bill comes in response to a national study conducted by the American Automobile…
Child custody issues are difficult enough to resolve, but when parents abduct their children to foreign countries, the matters become even more complicated. Child abductions to Japan by parents or other family members prove to be among the most complicated to resolve. The 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects…