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In New Jersey, each litigant in a divorce must complete a Case Information Statement, (commonly referred to as a CIS) and file it with the court. The Case Information Statements are arguably the most important documents in an entire divorce so, though time consuming and tedious, it is important that divorcing parties fully understand what it requires.
In 2014, the New Jersey State Legislature amended the alimony statute, N.J.S.A 2A:34-23, which better addressed the issue of cohabitation. The amended statute now states as follows:
Alimony may be suspended or terminated if the payee cohabits with another person. Cohabitation involves a mutually supportive, intimate personal relationship in which a couple has undertaken duties and privileges that are commonly associated with marriage or civil union but does not necessarily maintain a single common household.
When assessing whether cohabitation is occurring, the court shall consider the following:
The New Jersey Supreme Court has shed light on the limited circumstances in which principles of equity may supplant the equitable distribution statute for purposes of dividing a spouse’s bonus for work performed before and during the marriage.
In a recently published Appellate decision, a court considered this question. In Slawinski v. Nicholas, the court set forth the appropriate standard for reviewing a motion to modify a Consent Order granting grandparent visitation and which party has the burden of proof.
1. Get Informed.
Knowledge is power. Many people go through life without a full understanding of their finances. Sometimes it’s trivial, like not knowing exactly how much money is in your 401(k), while other times, people are unaware of exactly how much money their spouse makes.
In a recent decision, a New Jersey family court resolved the question of what happens when two divorced parents with joint custody of a minor child are unable to reach an agreement regarding important decisions related to the child’s health.
When spouses divorce, one of the things most often fought over is the division of their marital property, which is also referred to as equitable distribution. Different states have different laws on what is considered marital property and how the marital property is divided between spouses. In New Jersey, a court will divide the marital property “equitably” between divorcing spouses, which should not be confused with “equally.”
Chicago Cubs fans around the world rejoiced this month when the team took their first World Series Championship in 108 years. Thanks to the decision of an Illinois family court last month, however, there may be one disgruntled Chicago Cubs fan this year – a husband who was forced to provide his soon-to-be-ex-wife with a ticket to Game Four of last month’s World Series game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.
There has always been an undercurrent in domestic violence cases that, while not all domestic violence allegations involve acts of physical violence, the cases that do require slightly different treatment.
I recently read an article on Huffington Post that provided an interesting perspective on the emotional turmoil that many divorcing couples go through. What made it interesting is that it was provided by a third party - a friend of one of the spouses- providing his insights and opinions on what his friend had been going through.