Nobody gets married thinking they will one day be sitting in a courtroom, arguing over who is better fit to take care of the kids. However, in cases where relationships fail, family courts focus primarily on determining which parent can truly give their children a secure and stable home. The…
In Harney v. Harney, the North Carolina Court of Appeals addressed a specific child custody dispute involving the child’s mother and grandfather. As you are about to see, the case had two significant points the court clarified for future cases: jurisdiction under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act…
Co-parents who weaponize their children don’t always get away with it, and Hasz v. Brittain is proof of that. A parent’s repeated disregard for court orders and intentional attempt to sabotage a child’s relationship with the other parent ultimately backfired in this North Carolina Court of Appeals case, leading to…
Healthcare givers know how demanding that career can be. From unpredictable schedules to long hours, life can be very overwhelming. Add to it the role of being a single parent and fitting everything in can feel impossible. In honor of National Caregivers Day, we want to honor American heroes who…
Child support enforcement in North Carolina often raises questions about wage withholding and when it is required, and whether the courts can allow alternative payment methods instead. As you will see in Price v. New Hanover County Child Support o/b/o Murray-Price, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has addressed these…
Family law cases are not decided in theory. They are decided based on real people, real finances, and real evidence. The North Carolina Court of Appeals case Keith v. Keith, 911 S.E.2d 371 (N.C. Ct. App. 2024) is a strong example of how courts evaluate child support when one parent controls…
We all know divorce can be expensive. And with kids involved, the legal costs can add up even more rapidly because of custody and child support disputes. A recent North Carolina case, Stewart v. Brickman, helps explain when a court might order one parent to help pay for the other…
In this post, we will discuss the implications of the Aguilar v. Mayen case and why the North Carolina Court of Appeals has vacated a custody order. If you are a family lawyer, judge, or a parent in North Carolina, you’ll find this case important, especially from the perspective of how…
The holidays are a season of giving. We shop for our children, cook up incredible feasts to share with loved ones, decorate our homes to spread joy, and often make end-of-year contributions to our favorite charities. But in the hustle and bustle that comes with December, it’s easy to overlook…
The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted to protect the best interests of Native American children and promote the stability of Native families and tribes. It requires that courts make efforts to keep families intact and prioritize putting children in out-of-home placements that are within the child’s family or…