August 14, 2012

N.R.H. Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights of J.L.H.

544 BUCKS COUNTY LAW REPORTER 2012 BCBA N.R.H. Invol. Term. of Parental Rights [  85 Bucks Co. L. Rep. N.R.H. Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights Mother appeals decree granting Bucks County Children & Youth Social Services Agency’s request to terminate her parental rights. Parent and child –  Involuntary termination of parental rights – Grounds for […]

August 9, 2012

Procedure Modification

PROCEDURE 11-10 MODIFICATION / TERMINATION The mother appealed from an order that modified the parties’ child support. She claimed that her procedural due process rights were infringed upon by the trial court. The father had filed a petition for modification of a prior support order. The petition failed to specifically aver any facts or request […]

Revised Child Custody

CUSTODY 13-1A REVISED CHILD CUSTODY ACT STATUTORY FACTORS REVIEW The mother appealed from the trial court order that granted permission for the father to move from Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, to Barton, New York, with the parties’ male child. The appeal required consideration of the procedures and legal standards set forth in the newly enacted Child […]

Amount of Support

SUPPORT 11-1 AMOUNT OF SUPPORT 11-1.28 Guidelines/Deviation The wife is a German citizen whose relationship with the husband bore a single child during 2003. The wife married the husband on October 29, 2005. In order to facilitate the wife’s lawful immigration status and permit her to become a permanent resident of the United States, the […]

Partial Custody

CUSTODY 13-4 PARTIAL CUSTODY 13-4.1A Restrictions The record reflects that the trial court imposed restrictions on the father’s periods of partial custody. The trial court ordered that the mother or any other single caregiver was to be present in the area where the father was visiting with the child. Although the fact that the mother […]

Modifying Custody | Best interests of the child

What does the law mean by best interests of the child? Section 5338 of the Child Custody Act, 23 Pa.C.S. § 5321 et seq., implements changes to requests to modify existing custody orders. That section provides that, upon petition, a trial court may modify a custody order if it serves the best interests of the […]

August 6, 2012

Termination of Parental Rights Statutory Provisions

TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS 15-7 STATUTORY REQUISITES/PROVISIONS The father sought review of the trial court order that terminated his parental rights to his son pursuant to the Adoption Act, 23 Pa.C.S. § 2511(a)(8) and (b). The trial court found that the child had been removed from his father for a two-year period, far beyond the […]

Custody Relocation Best Interests

Children and Divorce

CUSTODY RELOCATION 13-8.7 Best Interests The mother appealed from the trial court order that denied her petition for relocation and a related request to modify the terms of custody for the parties’ six-year-old son. The recently enacted new Child Custody Act became effective on January 24, 2011. 23 Pa.C.S. §§ 5321–5340. The new act applies […]

August 3, 2012

When a parent wants to relocate with shared custody

What is the Child Custody Act and how is custody determined? Section 5337 of the recently enacted Child Custody Act, 23 Pa.C.S. § 5321 et seq., alters the legal standards that a trial court must consider when ruling on a request to relocate with shared custody. Under prior practice, trial courts considered relocation requests based […]

Procedure Miscellaneous

PROCEDURE 11-8.17 Miscellaneous The mother claimed that the trial court erred when it accepted the father’s physician’s information request form into the record and used its contents to find the father disabled; further, the trial court did not grant her, or her attorney, the opportunity to review the document prior to the trial. In order […]

August 2, 2012

Chase v. Chase

BUCKSCOUNTYLAW REPORTER 527  Chase v. Chase 2012 After the entry of an order modifying an award of alimony and child support, Mother appeals this Court’s Order alleging that Father misrepresented his income and failed to report a change in income, and that a change in the amount of alimony and child support should have been […]

July 31, 2012

Lawsuit Settlement Funds and Equitable Distribution in PA

MARITAL PROPERTY – Tort Claims Focht v. Focht, 32 A.3d 668 (Pa. 2011). The wife sought review of an order from the Superior Court that vacated a trial court’s equitable distribution award in the parties’ divorce action. The trial court had affirmed a special master’s equitable distribution award, based on a determination that proceeds from an accident […]

July 8, 2012

Survivor benefits under a Qualified Domestic Relations Order

2012 BCBA Leonhardt v. Leonhardt [ 85 Bucks Co. L. Rep. ] 580 BUCKS COUNTY LAW REPORTER Husband appeals this Court’s Order holding that the terms of a Marital Settlement Agreement did incorporate the payment of survivor benefits under a Qualified Domestic Relations Order from Husband’s pension in the event that Husband were to predecease Wife. Domestic relations […]

Philadelphia Tax Assessment Appeal 2012-2013

COVID-19

Tax Assessment Appeal – Philadelphia Common Level Ratio revised to 25.2% for 2012 – 2013 STEB, known as the State Tax Equalization Board has revised the 2012 common level tax rate for property in Philadelphia from 18.1% to 25.2% for tax assessment appeal purposes.  This function of the Board is to establish a common level ratio of assessed […]

June 4, 2012

Montgomery County Tax Assessment Appeal Deadline

Montgomery County has recently changed the Tax Assessment Appeal Deadline from September 1 to August 1, 2012 Montgomery County has recently changed the Tax Assessment Appeal Deadline from September 1 to August 1. Not familiar with Tax Assessment Appeals? Go to our informative page at www.tax-appeals.com On May 21, 2012, our office received an email […]

May 24, 2012

Procuring Cause

What is Procuring Cause In simple terms it is a legal term used when it comes to disputing who earns the real estate commission.  We have handled numerous cases which involved Procuring Cause and almost every case was different than the other. The general theory is that the agent who ultimately caused the buyer to purchase […]

May 16, 2012

Neff v. Neff BUCKS COUNTY LAW REPORTER 417 (2011)

NEFF V. NEFF BUCKS COUNTY LAW REPORTER 417 (2011) Husband appeals the entry of an order for equitable distribution alleging this Court erroneously excluded inheritance funds received by Wife from the marital estate. 1. Inheritance funds received by a spouse, even though commingled with a joint account, do not necessarily lose their identity as a non-marital asset […]

May 15, 2012

2012 Equitable Distribution Case, MacDougall v. MacDougall

MacDougall v. MacDougall  2012 BCBA   85 Bucks Co. L. Rep. Wife appeals this Court’s Order denying her petition for contempt alleging that Husband violated the terms of an Equitable Distribution Agreement by failing to pay a portion of his pension’s cost of living allowance increase. Domestic relations – Equitable distribution agreement – Cost of living allowance […]

April 17, 2012

Diamond Engagement Ring

Diamond Engagement Ring Husband gave Wife an heirloom diamond ring as an engagement ring prior to their marriage. Husband was in possession of this ring at the time of the hearing. N.T., 5/31/11, p. 14. Both parties agreed that the value of the ring was approximately $20,000.00. Id.; Husband’s Prehearing Stmt., p. 3. Based on Wife’s credible testimony, we […]

Recognizing Parental Alienation

Recognizing Parental Alienation By Robin L. Jessie-Green When couples separate, it is often due to differences in beliefs, attitude, or opinion, which cause them to grow apart. Even if these changes in relating are amicable, when it comes to deciding what is believed to be in the best interest of children caught in the middle, […]