Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant When an issue is winding its way through the court system, you may feel as if time stands still. Family law cases can be especially trying due to the emotions they elicit and the time it takes to see them through to the end. Family law…
Maddukuri v. Chintanippu, 2022-NCCOA-128 (1 March 2022) Stipulations are often used to expedite portions of a case/trial so that there is no time wasted on them, allowing the court to focus on the issues that are actually in contention. The use of stipulations of fact is pretty common. It removes…
Walker-Snyder v. Snyder, 2022-NCCOA-97 (2022) In North Carolina, domestic violence is not always caused by a physical act. Under the 50B statutes, actions that meet the definition of stalking can also result in the granting of a domestic violence protective order, even though the court must find that an “act”…
A person’s gender identity is defined as their innate sense of belonging to a particular gender. It specifically differs from the gender assigned at birth, which is based on the presence of external genitalia. Gender identify is something that develops biologically along with the body and mind. Accordingly, a transgender…
Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant Risen v. Risen, COA19-342 (N.C. Court App. 2020) The legal term “contempt of court” describes situations when an individual either willfully refuses to follow or otherwise fails to obey a legally binding order issued by a court. North Carolina recognizes two types of contempt: criminal contempt…
Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant STEWART v. STEWART, 141 NC App. 236 Dividing assets collected throughout a marriage is an unfortunate but necessary undertaking with divorce. This process can cause conflict, especially when the asset was brought into the marriage by one party. In North Carolina, a business stake or an…
Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant Graham v. Jones Child custody issues can be confusing and difficult to navigate. This is especially true when grandparents seek custody of a grandchild. Grandparents find themselves with questions regarding child custody and their rights and often do not know where to begin. Would it be…
Williams v. Johnson, 2022-NCCOA-120 (2022) (unpublished). Facts: Mother and Father were in a custody case over their minor child. On April 28, 2017, Mother was awarded primary custody, and Father received visitation. A few years later, on August 11, 2020, the trial court modified the custody but later vacated their…
Wayne Hopper, Legal Assistant Williams v. Williams, 261 S.E.2d 849 (1980) Alimony (also called spousal support in North Carolina) is a form of financial support awarded during a divorce proceeding and serves as a means to assist a dependent spouse post marriage. A “dependent spouse” is a person substantially reliant…
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s custody battle involving their four children has begun to heat up. When Kim first filed for divorce early last year, both Kim and Kanye agreed that they should share joint custody of their four children. Now, it appears the couple is a long way from…