North Carolina Divorce Lawyers Blog

Articles Posted in Lawyer to Lawyer

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By: Leesa M. Poag, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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In 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 more complex when one of the parties seeking custody of a child is not a biological parent of that child. Continue reading →

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By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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As 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 examine how a parent’s rights are affected when there is an allegation of “unfitness.” Continue reading →

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By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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If 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. This multi-part series will examine who can have standing to apply for custody of the minor children under North Carolina law, and the analysis the Court must follow. In part one of our series, we will examine the Constitutional Rights of the biological parents, which is the bedrock for all subsequent analysis by the Court. Continue reading →

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By Carolyn J. Woodruff, North Carolina Family Law Specialist
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Winston Salem, North Carolina: Malecek v. Williams (2017)

Derek Williams is a Forsyth County doctor who had an affair apparently, or at least allegedly, with his nurse. Playing doctor-nurse games got them in trouble with the nurse’s husband, Marc Malecek. The nurse’s then-husband Marc sued Derek for alienation of affection and criminal conversation. Continue reading →

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Whether you are the Plaintiff filing a lawsuit or the Defendant being served with one, one of the most important things for a family law attorney in Greensboro and across the state to keep in mind are deadlines imposed by rules and statutes in North Carolina.  Rule 6 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure sets the guidelines as to how we compute time in North Carolina. Continue reading →

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By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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In the final installment of our twelve-part practical series for attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties, we will review the case of State v. Deanes. In our hypothetical situation from Part 1, there were multiple hearsay statements made by the children to various family members, social workers, medical practitioners and detectives. While we have covered the prime hearsay exceptions to have these statements admitted, there is always the possibility that the court will not allow the hearsay in under the already enumerated exceptions. If this happens, the best alternative is to use Hearsay Exceptions Rule 803(24) – “Other Exceptions.” The court in Deanes gives us a broad overview of “other exception where there is inherent trustworthiness” under Rule 803(24), and the proper procedure to utilize this hearsay exception. State v. Deanes, 323 N.C. 508, 374 S.E.2d 249 (1988). Continue reading →

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by Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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In this installment of our series for family law practitioners in Guilford and surrounding counties, we will discuss the case of State v. Burgess. In our hypothetical scenario, the two children made statements to their grandmother about the abuse by their uncle. Although the timing and circumstances surrounding the statements were not discussed, the statements could qualify for admission under the hearsay exception of excited utterances, Rule 803(2). The case of Burgess provides very clear guidance on this hearsay exception. State v. Burgess, 639 S.E.2d 68, 181 N.C.App. 27 (2007). Continue reading →

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By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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In part 10 of our practical series for family law attorneys practicing in the Piedmont Triad, we will review the case Matter of Lucas which provides guidance on hearsay statements made to physicians regarding sexual abuse. In our scenario in part 1 of the series, the two children told their grandmother about the incident, which in turn led to the children being seen by a doctor. In the visit with the doctor, the children made statements about the abuse. One of the grounds opposing counsel may bring up is that a physician did not treat the children, but merely examined them to gather evidence for any criminal investigation stemming from the abuse allegations. The case of Matter of Lucas is directly relevant. Matter of Lucas, 380 S.E.2d 563 (N.C. App. 1989). Continue reading →

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By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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Part 9 of our continuing series for family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties focuses on the admission of hearsay from social workers and the Department of Social Services. When there is a case that has allegations of abuse, there will likely be intervention from the Department of Social Services at some point. As in our scenario, there usually will be an initial investigator, and at some point, the case will be assigned to another worker for follow up after the initial investigation. By the time that the case goes to hearing, there can be multiple workers who have interacted with the family and touched the case. The prospect of getting not just one, but multiple social workers with heavy caseloads in to court to testify is a daunting task to say the least. This segment will review the case of In re C.R.B. and the admission of DSS records authored by multiple social workers. In re C.R.B., 781 S.E.2d 846 (N.C. App. 2016) Continue reading →

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By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group
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In this part of our continuing practical series, we will address the issues family law attorneys face when trying to admit DSS records and social worker’s testimony into evidence in Guilford and surrounding counties. Matter of Smith is a particularly useful case for when the child has made statements to one social worker, but that worker is not available to testify on the day of the hearing. As most attorneys who have needed a social worker’s testimony can attest, these are very busy people with important jobs. It is hard to get a social worker in court as they are usually dashing from one case to the next. Also, the social worker who initially receives the case may not keep the case in the long run. This is where the holdings of Smith can be applied. Continue reading →