May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and here at Woodruff Family Law Group, we are cognizant that the ongoing pandemic has caused much harm to our collective mental health. The school closures and loneliness associated with social distancing are major factors. A remarkable Harvard study following 224 children found that…
Vonhall v. Vonhall, (No. COA20-466) (unpublished) In equitable distribution, clients often ask whether gifts to one spouse during the marriage is going to be subject to division. Below, we see a simple case example of how the law treats these gifts and the evidence that supports the legal conclusion: Facts:…
In July and August of 2020, the Cleveland Clinic’s MENtion It program surveyed 1,180 men, ages 18 and older, on how COVID has affected men’s mental and physical health. The study focuses on the effect of COVID on the current health of men and how men are coping with the…
Fecteau v. Spierer, COA20-532 (2020). Child custody orders are modifiable under North Carolina law. In order to modify, the party seeking a modification must show a substantial change in circumstances, from those found in previous order, that warrants modification. It may seem obvious that big changes in the custodial parent’s…
Fecteau v. Spierer, COA20-532 (2020). Child custody orders are modifiable. In order modify, the party seeking a modification must show a substantial change in circumstances, from those found in the previous order, that warrants modification. In some cases, primary physical custody is awarded to a nonparent. Most often, this nonparent…
In Williams v. McDonald, the North Carolina Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, reviewed Plaintiff’s appeal from the trial court’s order granting Defendant’s 12(b)(b) motion to dismiss Plaintiff’s complaint. Williams v. McDonald, COA20-10 (N.C. App 2020). Facts: Plaintiff and Defendant, after sixteen years of marriage, entered into a Separation Agreement…
What happens when a wife gives birth during a marriage, but the husband is not the biological father per DNA? Paternity in North Carolina is a legal issue—there are rights and responsibilities that come with being a legal father. As a primer, the common terminology in this area of law…
Angel v. Sandoval, COA20-236 (unpublished 2020). If your ex, or you, lost a job and income and considered modifying child support to a lower amount in response, it may not always mean that the modification will be granted. Here in North Carolina, it depends on the circumstances surrounding the job…
There are unfortunate times where one individual who has become fully insured for social security benefits passes away or gives up a child for adoption. In such cases, however, the Social Security Administration has enacted rules to pass on the benefit to the children. But exactly what happens when the…
Alexander v. Alexander, ______ N.C. _______ (2021) (COA19-391). In Greensboro, Grandparents may be awarded visitation rights if the Court deems it appropriate. Often, it is by intervening in the custody battle being fought by the custodial parents. Even after a final custody order is entered, a Grandparent may seek visitation…