A Hunterdon County woman lost her appeal of a New Jersey judge’s ruling preventing her from mentioning her ex-husband or children in any of her online posts. That ban was imposed as part of the woman’s probation for a custody agreement violation. (1) This case highlights the seriousness with which…
It took more than 30 years, but New Jersey lawmakers may have finally reached a compromise that satisfies both adoptees’ right to know and their birth parents’ right to privacy. That compromise is the basis for a bill which, last week, won conditional approval from Gov. Chris Christie, and now…
Restraining orders don’t just go away. That’s the lesson one New York couple learned after a routine traffic stop in New Jersey led to the driver’s arrest on contempt of court charges stemming from violation of an outstanding protection order. Earlier this month, Clinton Township Patrolman John Tiger stopped a…
When alimony is awarded as part of a legal separation or divorce settlement, it becomes a legally binding agreement enforceable by the court. As such, the receiving spouse has recourse if and when the paying spouse fails to meet his or her payment obligation. Usually, this involves filing a petition…
In 2011 New Jersey adopted its Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights in response to the Federal Government’s efforts to protect people, especially children, from this growing problem. Since then, schools have been responsible for addressing claims of bullying and harassment against their students to the point of monitoring even those activities…
A current New Jersey case involving a Morris County high school girl who is suing her parents for support brings to light several questions regarding family law: • Can and should courts interfere with parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit? • How far do parents’ financial…
Efforts to provide New Jersey adoptees with access to their medical and genealogical histories while protecting biological parents’ rights to privacy are under way once again. (1) This time, however, lawmakers hope they have found a workable compromise. The latest revisions to a bill first introduced in 1980 are expected…
It is a familiar story. An elderly woman from Watchung answered her phone last month only to be told that her grandson was in custody in Haiti and needed her assistance to bail him out. It was only after she had wired $1,990 that the woman realized she had been…
At what age is it okay to leave a child unattended? In New Jersey, the answer depends on a number of circumstances, including where the child is being left. A New Jersey appeals court recently ruled that a parent or custodial guardian who leaves a young child unattended in a…
If Gov. Chris Christie signs a pending Bill before the current legislative session ends this week, certain domestic violence offenders could find themselves wearing electronic monitoring devices as part of a pilot program which would be implemented in Ocean County. If the Governor fails to sign the legislation, however, supporters…