Child custody trials can be interesting; alas, not as riveting as the clients seem to think. The Parnell trial pitted an ex Army ranger turned novelist/ U.S. Senate candidate against
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Custody
The Kiddie Hearsay Statute: Not Just for Criminal Lawyers
By Mark Ashton on
In 1989 the Pennsylvania General Assembly adopted an oddly named law of evidence titled: “Admissibility of Certain Statements.” The thrust of the statute is that under limited circumstances, if a…
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VACCINATION WARS GO TO CUSTODY COURT
By Mark Ashton on
Mark R. Ashton (vaccinated)
This week both the Washington Post and the Chicago Sun-Times reported on a case in Chicago where a court decided whether a parent who was unvaccinated…
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A CUSTODY CASE IS NOT A PLACE TO GET RECORDS FROM PROCEEDINGS UNDER THE MENTAL HEALTH PROCEDURES ACT [MHPA]
By Mark Ashton on
On May 26, the Superior Court issued an en banc ruling addressing whether a Court can order a child custody litigant to turn over records of her treatment compiled in…
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DOES GRANDPA OWE SUPPORT?
By Mark Ashton on
As we have all witnessed, ours is an age when grandparent duties transcend “Saturday” night. Historically, Saturday was grandparent night when parents would have their night out. Sadly, the explosion…
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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL TELLS A FRIGHTENING TALE OF CUSTODY, CONSULTANTS & MURDER
By Mark Ashton on
For those of us who get the Wall Street Journal on Saturday, it is a newspaper of respite. Yes, all of Friday’s news is there but the features are sections…
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GAG ORDERS IN CHILD CUSTODY; CAN BEST INTERESTS & FREE SPEECH BE BALANCED?
By Mark Ashton on
Father adopted a child with mother. Mother died two year later. Father remarried the stepmother in 2012, with whom this litigation took place. Stepmother adopted the child a year later. …
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COVID CRAZY TRAVEL
By Mark Ashton on
Imagine being a kid; any age over four. Unless you are well north of age 100, you have never seen anything like this. Adults fighting about everything and demonstrating some…
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AN IMPORTANT, ALBEIT NON-PRECEDENTIAL ADDITION TO RELOCATION LAW
By Mark Ashton on
Since 2011, we have had a statute setting forth both a procedure and a judicial standard for the determination of requests to relocate with a child. We have previously observed…
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What Could Massachusetts Ruling Non-Disparagement Orders Unconstitutional Mean to Pennsylvania?
By Aaron Weems on
It is always a good idea to keep an eye on other jurisdictions for how they deal with novel or emerging issues. One issue recently considered was the use of…
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