Brackney v. Brackney, 682 S.E.2d 401 (N.C. App. 2009). Facts: Plaintiff and Defendant had a child with severe neurological needs. To accommodate the child’s needs, they chose to build a single-level home that was accessible. The child unfortunately passed. The parties then separated a year later. The home’s construction was…
The month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Each year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (“NAMI”) joins the national movement to raise awareness about mental health. For the year 2021, the message “You Are Not Alone” is the amplifying theme for the month. This theme is relevant now…
Utah recently enacted a new statute that denies hunting and fishing licenses to those who are delinquent on child support payments. They have recently began notifying some of those people that they may be denied licenses based on their delinquency. According to their state child support enforcement records, roughly 19,000…
In Equitable Distribution, we often ask clients about the debts that they accrued during the marriage and the value on the date of separation. This is because the judge is required to classify, value, and distribute marital property. But it may not always include debts incurred during marriage. The debts…
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Vonhall v. Vonhall, (No. COA20-466) (unpublished) In equitable distribution, clients often ask whether gifts to one spouse during the marriage is going to be subject to division.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…