As I started this, it occurred to me that I had been to this topic before. Last April 19 I reported on a story published by PBS about spouses who accumulate debt in secret and then want to “share” the debt when the marriage collapses. The February 2020 issue of The Magazine of the American
FINANCIAL INFIDELITY: Don’t Let Your Spouse Make You A Victim.
As part of National Public Radio’s morning edition report for April 29, 2019, business correspondent Yuki Noguchi reported on a phenomenon we have witnessed, financial infidelity. Ours is an age where credit is available everywhere 24/7. Want to buy a power washer at 3 a.m.? Your friends at Amazon are not only prepared to take
Superior Court Deals Blow to “Dissipation” Theories in Equitable Distribution
A recent case published by the Superior Court gives us some insight into one issue which has thus far evaded appellate review and affirms in principle that alimony remains a secondary remedy and one which is awarded based upon need.
Core facts are:
Husband: 61
Wife: 56
Both employed in health care industry.
Husband’s net:
Misunderstanding Between Lawyer and Expert Results in Breach of Contract and Unused Report
Experts and their reports can be an expensive, but necessary, element to many types of cases. This is particularly true in divorce cases, whether they are personal or business divorces. In all cases, it is incumbent on the attorney, client, and expert to all have the same understanding of the scope of the work and
Modifying Unmodifiable Agreements
A standard provision in most written agreements establishes that no modification of the agreement shall occur unless the parties do so in writing (and usually notarized to avoid fraud). Recently, however, I confronted the issue as to whether or not a party may make a valid oral modification of a provision of an agreement. In
Calculating Value Increase in Real Estate During Marriage – The Debt Reduction Side
Hopefully all of us know that Pennsylvania is an “increase in value state” meaning that under Section 3501(a) of the Divorce Code, the increase in value of non-marital assets during marriage (to final separation) is a marital asset subject to division. There are two sides to this equation in cases where a spouse brings a
Equitable Distribution Orders are Not Judgments
Recently, a case came before the Superior Court addressing the question as to whether a party has the right to charge interest on unpaid portions of an equitable distribution award. In Raines v. Raines, 2016 PA 227 (Superior Court), the basic facts are that husband and wife divorced and the recommendation of the
Delaware Blog Explores an Unusual Asset
Leslie Spoltore, a partner in our Wilmington, Delaware office, recently wrote a post on our Delaware Family Law Blog about a uniquely unusual to Delaware “asset:” license plates.
Unlike every other state in the Union, there seems to be an dedicated, obsessed, and well heeled
Think Before You Text: iPad Texts are not Protected Under the Wiretapping Act
We have written about electronic discovery and Pennsylvania’s wiretapping law on this blog before. For family law attorneys, they are issues which can be critical to your case, but also present a minefield of ethical and evidentiary issues. How information may be collected and in what manner can be
What the Ashley Madison Data Breach Really Means to Divorce Lawyers and their Clients
When I first heard of the Ashley Madison data breach, I seem to be one of the few family law attorneys who felt somewhat cool to the idea it was going to result in a