Dear Carolyn, My ex is posting all kinds of things about me on Facebook. She calls me names like bastard, devil, asshole, and you name it. She doesn’t even have privacy settings on her Facebook, so I fear that my (our) children who are ages 13 and 15 may somehow…
North Carolina Divorce Lawyers Blog
Spanking Standards in Child Custody in North Carolina
Dear Carolyn, I am a mother of girls ages six and ten. I am separated, and I have half custody. I work hard, and the girls sometimes create havoc. I spanked the six-year-old with a belt, just like my mother did me. My church belief is “spare the rod and…
Today’s Divorce Climate: The Ex-Spouse is a Spy
1. Change your email address and password when you begin your family law case. Change your computer and cell phone, if possible. Electronic devices, computers, and cell phones can be serious “leaks” of information and strategy in your case. Email trespass is probably the leading “technology” problem in family law…
Russian Diaries: June 9, 2015 at the Kremlin Palace: the Mouse is Out of the Box!!!
This day, June 9, was one of the most interesting days of my life. Alosha and I were set to perform at the Kremlin Palace, in Star Duo—a one day show similar to Dance Legends in New York City. Dwight and I planned nothing else for the day as it…
Critical Issues for Same-Sex Marriage in North Carolina
1. What is the date of marriage? Prior to October 2014, same-sex couples could not marry in North Carolina. But what date of marriage will North Carolina recognize if the same-sex couple was earlier married or entered into a civil union in some other state before October 2014? The date…
Divisible Property in Equitable Distribution
North Carolina General Statutes Section 50-20(b) (4) defines divisible property. Divisible property covers certain values created post-separation. A husband that continued to work in a dental practice post-separation did not create active appreciation. Husband did not change anything about his business methods to increase business. The growth between the date…
Guilford County Announces Domestic Violence Pilot Program
by Jon Csuka, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group-News Release- Take note that Guilford County is participating in a pilot program with regard to the e-filing of 50-Bs/DVPO. We are the first county in the State to put these procedures into place. All 50-B complaints will be E-filed from the Family Justice Center located at 201 S. Greene…
An Open Letter to Shermikia Lemon on Success: Magic of Reinvention
I look at success as achievement of goals at three points in time. Time is the magic gift that we all have, and we must use time wisely. There is success at the current moment and being in the now. There is success for intermediate goals, perhaps those to be…
Russian Diaries June 7, 2015: Arrival in Moscow
By: Carolyn Woodruff, JD, CPA, CVAWe have an uneventful Delta flight from Kennedy Airport leaving around 4:30 PM in New York (KJFK) to Moscow (KSVO) arriving around 9 AM. Dwight Ensley (my husband), Alosha and I are greeted at the Moscow Airport by Arina Demina, soon to be a Russian lawyer and to be our…
A Lost Alimony Deduction by Linking to Child Support
Watch out for those hurried, last minute North Carolina agreements that link alimony and child support termination; you could get an unintended tax consequence and the loss of the tax deduction. While the Johnson case, discussed herein, is not a North Carolina case, it could be. Guys and gals, you…