Michigan Family Law Blog

When a judge orders supervised or restricted parenting time, it means that the judge has determined that this type of visitation between the parent and the child is in the best interest of the child. For some reason, the judge determined that allowing you to spend time with your child without supervision would be dangerous for or potentially harmful to your child. An order for supervised or restricted parenting time can be devastating for a parent. Our

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Russell Crowe's recent divorce has gained a lot of attention from the media, particularly because of the auction of his apparently vast collection of interesting movie memorabilia.  The memorabilia included the "jock strap" that Mr. Crowe wore in the movie Cinderella Man on the outside of his boxing gear.  Comedian John Oliver ended up purchasing this odd bit of history for eight thousand ($8,000) dollars, then donated the item to a Blockbuster Video in Alaska.  The Crowe family responded in a public announcement that they were donating the proceeds from the shots to help Koala's with Chlamydia and opened the John Oliver Koala Chlamydia Center.
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The Detroit News reported a case on May 8, 2018 that I found interesting (and a little amusing) as a divorce lawyer in Michigan.  The News reported that a man by the name of Joseph Stroup was arrested in Canada due to outstanding child support from a 1989 Grand Rapids case.  Mr. Stroup was hiding out in Canada under the false moniker "Joop Cousteau", not to be confused with Jacques.  Apparently the man fled the country after his divorce in an attempt to avoid meeting his child support obligations and was living under an assumed identity.

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One of the biggest assets that most people own is their residential property.  This is not only their home and place, it is also a large part of the nest egg.  People are often very concerned about what will happen with the marital home and how this asset is handled in a divorce case.

The Marital Home is Almost Always Considered Joint Property

Typically, the marital home where both parties reside is considered joint marital property and any equity in the home will be equally divided.  This is true regardless of how the home is titled or whether the mortgage is in the name of one or both parties.

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Will I Have to Pay My Spouse's Attorney Fees in Divorce?

When it comes to attorney fees in general, Michigan courts follow the "American Rule".  That means that each party is responsible for paying for his, her or its own fees and costs regardless of whether or not that party has less economic means to afford it or whether that party wins or loses.  However when it comes to family law cases (divorce, alimony, custody, property division or support) then there is a different set of rules.  In this area, the court may order one party to pay for the other party's attorney fees from his or her own income or share of the marital estate. 

There are two instances where this may occur, the first is where one party has caused the other party to incur unnecessary costs and fees, typically by filing frivolous motions or trying to conceal assets.

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In some cases, sharing custody of a child is in the best interest of all parties. The parents are able to be involved in their child’s daily life and activities by sharing the parenting responsibilities in ways that benefit the parents and the child. However, if you share legal custody with your child’s other parent or you have sole legal custody and you wish to relocate within Michigan, there are certain rules that you must understand before you begin the relocation process. Before relocating with your child, you need to discuss the move with a Michigan family
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Fault and Divorce in Michigan 

When handling divorce matters, the issue of fault often comes up.  In Michigan, by law, there are many types of fault that the court may consider when dividing property or awarding alimony.  One form of fault that is unfortunately present in many divorce cases is emotional and verbal abuse.

Emotional and Verbal Abuse

In many cases there are issues surrounding emotional or verbal abuse.  This can be a very serious form of abuse from name calling to constantly berating the other spouse as a means for control.

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Fault and Divorce in Michigan 

When handling divorce matters, the issue of fault often comes up.  In Michigan, by law, there are many types of fault that the court may consider when dividing property or awarding alimony.  The primary type of fault that most people think of when it comes to the topic of divorce is infidelity however another type of fault that often comes into play in this cases is economic fault or waste.

Economic Fault or Waste

Economic fault or waste most often involves cases where one party has gambled away significant portions of the marital funds or estate without the consent of the other party, where one party has wasted funds on drug abuse or alcoholism or one party has wasted significant funds pursuing an extramarital relationship.  There are other types of economic fault as well.

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It can be heartbreaking for a grandparent to lose access to his or her grandchild. Most grandchildren benefit from a close and healthy relationship with their grandparents. However, divorce, misunderstandings, or the death of a parent can often put grandparents in a situation where they must fight for their right to see their grandchild. A Michigan grandparents rights lawyer represents grandparents who are seeking visitation rights with their grandchildren.
Before contacting an attorney, let’s take a look at five things about grandparenting time that you should understand before petitioning for visitation rights.
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When handling divorce matters, the issue of fault often comes up.  In Michigan, by statute, there are many types of fault that the court may consider when dividing property or awarding alimony.  The primary type of fault that most people think of when it comes to the topic of divorce is infidelity.

 

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Families in America are increasingly becoming blended families of various compositions. According to The Step Family Foundation, there are approximately 1,300 new stepfamilies formed each day in the United States and over one-half of the families in our country are re-coupled or remarried.
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