Dear Carolyn, Prom is coming up, and my daughter is a senior. I want her to have a nice dress for prom, but her father will not help pay for the dress. I receive $622 per month child support pursuant to a child support order, and our daughter lives mostly…
Articles Posted in children
The Rights of Same-Sex Couples: Adoption
Joshua Chilton, Legal AssistantThe United States, as a whole, has only allowed same-sex marriage for just over two and a half years. It is law that same-sex couples have the right to marry in the United States of America, but there are some who still struggle with the question of what exactly that…
Grandparents Listen Up
Toni Maurie Gwynn was a 17-month angel who died July 10, 2013 in Eden, North Carolina. She was found suffocated and strapped to a car seat. Apparently, she had not had food or water for many hours. The latest “who dun it” was resolved last week with her father Antonio…
Paternity and Custody
Dear Carolyn, I believe I am the Father of a son, but the Mother is married to someone else. I dated Mother while she and her husband were separated, but now they are back together. We had sex during the time we were dating and the child was born 9…
Who Can Apply for Custody in NC: Part 4
When analyzing custody, the issue of who has rights to custody of a minor is commonly focused on the biological parents of the child. In the eyes of the law, under the right circumstances, biological parents may be disfavored in congruence to “third party” individuals who assert rights to custody.…
Who Can Apply for Custody in NC: Part 3, When the Best Interest Standard Doesn’t Apply
By: Leesa M. Poag, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn a typical child custody case, the mother and father of a child are seeking the intervention of the court to settle their dispute over who should be granted custody of their child. Though this is the situation most often facing family law attorneys throughout the Triad, the cases become…
Who Has Standing to Apply for Custody in NC: Part 2, Unfitness of Parents
By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupAs contentious custody cases in the Piedmont progress, it is likely that a parent may be called “unfit.” In a legal context, this word has a specific meaning, and drastic consequences should the court find a parent unfit. In this second installment on standing to apply for custody, we will…
Who Has Standing to Apply for Custody in NC: Part 1, Constitutional Rights
By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIf you have been involved with a highly contentious custody case in the Triad, you know that family members will start coming out of the woodwork to ask for custody of the minor children. This phenomenon is even more prevalent when the parents are not adequately caring for their children.…
Danger Lurking Next Door
Dear Carolyn, I have been reading the horrid stories about children being left in hot cars. I also have been troubled by my next door neighbor leaving her seven-year-old son alone this summer while she goes to work. I have seen this mother lock the door when she leaves in…
Give Mediation a Chance
Dear Carolyn, I have a two-year-old and a five-year-old, and I am separated from their Father. I am filing for custody and divorce. I hear I am going to have to go to mediation with the Father, and I really don’t want to see him. I am not exactly afraid…