UPDATES IN MICHIGAN FAMILY LAW

Reconciliation is not for the faint of heart

Earlier this fall, I wrote about a column in the New York Times written by Laura Munson. My blog post was titled: "When your spouse says 'I don't love you anymore.' Advice for clients." In the NY Times, Munson wrote about sticking it out and seeing it through the "rough patch" with her spouse. 

In emails responding to this post (which I now wish I'd archived), some people expressed the thought that Laura Munson was just "wimping it out" and not sticking up for herself. Some others, like me, thought that Laura's words were empowering to women.

Maine voters overturn gay marriage law

Last May, Maine's Governor John E. Baldacci signed a same-sex marriage into law without previous action by the courts. He was the first governor to in the United States to do so. Opposition to the law was so swift that not a single couple exchanged vows.

A referendum drive began and yesterday voters in Maine rejected the law after both sides had spent millions of dollars on the cause. Sometime after midnight, as the margin continued to grow and 52.7 percent of voters cast were for repeal, the Associated Press called the contest in favor of gay-marriage foes.

The Boston Globe article "Maine voters overturn state’s new same-sex marriage law" may be read here.

Michigan child support pleas flood courts

According to a Detroit News article today, requests for modification of child support orders are flooding Michigan's court system. And many of those requests are being granted. Couple the lowering of child support with a loss of health care benefits where jobs and insurance plans have evaporated . . . and it's clearly creating hardship all around. The article offers access to information and resources especially useful to parents who have no attorney access to guide them.  Read Michigan child support pleas flood courts here.

Spousal support | When? How much? How long? Conditions?

An article published in The Wall Street Journal on October 31, 2009 garnered over emotionally charged 170 online comments over the weekend.  The tenor of the article is set at the beginning: "Long viewed as payment for life, divorce settlements are facing strict new limits as some ex-spouses—primarily men—protest the endless support of a former partner. For richer, for poorer, forever?"

Kidnapped child returned from China

Wonderful news today! Little Lenora Karolys has been returned from China. In January, her father suggested that his wife join him in China with their daughter, then 2 1/2. Once they were there, Rodrigo Karolys allegedly kidnapped the child and left his wife, Olivia stranded in China without money. She returned to the State to look for help. The fact that Olivia was an illegal immigrant in the U.S. was one of the biggest hurdles. 

Females as batterers? Get the picture on domestic violence

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Thus, there has been much discussion this past month in many venues about DV. Men and their supporters are drawing attention to the fact that many articles and blog posts depict men as the perpetrators and women as the victims. In reality, men also can be victims of domestic violence. Sometimes women are perpetrators, and not the victims, of domestic violence.

Some who claim that women are perpetrators as often—or nearly as often—as men point to the following bibliography in support of their thesis: "References Examining Assaults by Women on their Spouses or Male Partners: An Annotated Bibliography," compiled by  Martin S. Fiebert, Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach. Last updated: July 2009

Store, share, send files online

Ben Stevens, South Carolina Family Law blogger and also a tech blogger [http:themaclawyer.com] suggests the following two services for storing and sharing files online.

• Drop.io – This service allows you to send and share files with clients and others quickly, securely, and privately.  You select the data to upload, set the password, and share with your desired recipients.  By doing so, you can collaborate via web, phone, email, mobile, & more.
• Evernote – This free service enables you to easily capture, organize, and store information using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and it makes the information accessible and searchable at any time from anywhere.

Facebook - Guide to Internet privacy & safety

I've written previously about Internet safety for those in the middle of a divorce or post-divorce difficulties. In particular, I've warned about use of Facebook and MySpace. These social networking websites can offer a wealth of information that might be used against someone who's battling for custody of children or have other issues (such as spousal support) that can be impacted by disclosure of activities.

The New York Times has published a terrific list of ways folks can protect their privacy while using Facebook. I am sure they also apply to sites such as MySpace.

You can read the NY Times article 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook here.

Earlier articles about protecting your privacy when online or using a computer another might have access to (or might have had access to) can be found here.

People searches - Toolbox

Pipl – This online people search engine enables you to look up information by name, email address, username, or phone number, and it pulls all of the information together into a nice report.  Search engines for many other types of data can be found at LifeHacker.   

Or use zabasearch.com -- a neat service. Use the free search on this page. You can get names, addresses and phone numbers, search by  state or by all 50 states. Some returns give you the date of birth, which can assist in confirming that the contact information is relevant to the person for whom you are searching. Then there is the link to the sattelite map, giving you a bird's eye view of where he/she lives. Scary!
                       

Attorney who assists a party does not violate ethics rules

An interesting Court of Appeals case was released yesterday. Shelly Reynolds filed an action for quiet title to real estate after her former spouse and his mother filed liens against her property. David and Laura Reynolds answered and filed counterclaims of "false liens, slander of title, perjury and harassment." Shelly Reynolds answered the counterclaim and raised several affirmative defenses, including res judicata, collateral estoppel, etc. [That must have been one bitter divorce case.]