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Discovery is the next step of a family law case prior to a hearing. Discovery is the process of asking for and providing evidence between parties prior to a hearing. Discovery looks for all relevant evidence that isn’t privileged, but those words don’t necessarily mean the same thing in the law that they do in regular life.

The Family Law Process – Part 7: Discovery (Rules 26-37)

Sometimes in a family law case, all efforts to negotiate or mediate fail and a hearing is necessary. In order to make your case to the judge, you will need proof of your claims. But what is your recourse if the other party has all of the information? How can you prove that your spouse makes more than you, for instance, without access to their paystubs or bank statements? Or the value of their car if you don’t know how much is still owed on it? Luckily, the court provides a way to get that information: Discovery.

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Recent high-profile trials have been live-streamed with great success. The Depp-Heard defamation trial and Rittenhouse prosecution were widely watched by many across the entire world through new media channels such as YouTube, as well as traditional television broadcasting. Recently, someone asked me if North Carolina would allow cameras into our courtrooms for similar high-profile cases. Remarkably, the Rules of Practice for Superior and District Court already allow them to do so. Continue reading →

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Everyone has seen a hearing on TV, but very few people know the process that leads up to that hearing. 95% of family law cases get settled before they even go to trial. Family law cases can be very stressful, but knowing what’s coming next can help lessen that stress. For a few weeks, we will look at the steps of a family law case prior to a hearing.

Part 6:  Mediation Continue reading →

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By: John S. Davis, NCCP
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It’s likely that you have heard of disc golf or, as many call it, Frisbee golf. (I’ll get to why the latter is illegal shortly.) The sport is a simple derivation from traditional golf, where the player uses a club to hit a ball until it rolls into a hole. Instead, disc golf players throw flying discs into special targets. In both games, the object is to complete the hole in the fewest number of strokes (or throws). Having played competitively since 1979, I can attest that disc golf is immensely engaging and, I will argue, has many clear advantages over what we call ball golf.

History of the Discs Used in Disc Golf

First, you should not call it Frisbee golf. “Frisbee” is a registered trademark of the Wham-O Corporation, and Wham-O no longer makes discs for the sport. No one today plays disc golf with Frisbees, although discs made at one time by Wham-O for disc golf are highly prized as collectibles. For a time, Wham-O’s Midnight Flyers, all curved-edge discs similar to the original Frisbee, were the standard for competitive play.

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Plaintiff Nigel Williams (“Father”) and Defendant Latoria Johnson (“Mother”) were married on May 1, 2015.  Father and Mother had one child born February 17, 2016.  Father and Mother then separated on April 30, 2016.  On January 17, 2017, Father filed a complaint for child custody.  On April 28, 2017, a custody order was entered granting joint legal custody of the minor child to Father and Mother, primary physical custody to Mother, and secondary physical custody by visitation to Father.

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In Re TB, 2022-NCSC-43.

Facts: In January of 2019, Mecklenburg County DSS filed a petition alleging that the minor child in this action was neglected and dependent. They later moved her to foster care. The petition was initiated when police reported a domestic violence incident in the child’s home in early January, in which the father was arrested. When DSS spoke to Father and Mother after the incident, and both admitted to smoking marijuana, Father acknowledged he had mental health needs and that he had been in treatment for domestic violence through NOVA in the past. Mother said that she would have left Father if she had more family support. Father said he was willing to leave the family home. Father then agreed to go to Monarch for mental health assessment, and both parents agreed to submit to random drug screening. Continue reading →

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Everyone has seen a hearing on TV, but very few people know the process that leads up to that hearing. 95% of family law cases get settled before they even go to trial. Family law cases can be very stressful, but knowing what’s coming next can help lessen that stress. For a few weeks, we will look at the steps of a family law case prior to a hearing.

Part 5:  Motions and Rule 5 Notice Continue reading →

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Everyone has seen a hearing on TV, but very few people know the process that leads up to that hearing. 95% of family law cases get settled before they even go to trial. Family law cases can be very stressful, but knowing what’s coming next can help lessen that stress. For a few weeks, we will look at the steps of a family law case prior to a hearing.

Part 4:  Answers Continue reading →

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Aviles v. Vulovic, E076743 (filed June 9, 2022).

Facts: Plaintiff Husband married Defendant Wife in 2011. However, Wife’s previous divorce had not yet finalized. Wife’s first marriage ended in a separation, and in 2006 Wife filed a petition for divorce. Wife believed that a divorce would just materialize automatically six months after the filing of the petition. In 2007, Wife and Husband began dating. They married in Las Vegas in 2011. Wife later appeared for a child support hearing with her former husband, and the presiding judge informed her that she had not yet been divorced. Wife eventually finalized the divorce in 2012. Wife and Husband had two more wedding ceremonies in 2013, however they never received a marriage certificate from the court. Husband and Wife separated in 2020 and were in court for spousal support. Husband claimed that Wife was barred from seeking support because she was in a bigamous marriage. It was the trial court’s finding that Wife was a putative spouse and awarded her temporary spousal support. Husband appealed. Continue reading →

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Everyone has seen a hearing on TV, but very few people know the process that leads up to that hearing. 95% of family law cases get settled before they even go to trial. Family law cases can be very stressful, but knowing what’s coming next can help lessen that stress. For a few weeks, we will look at the steps of a family law case prior to a hearing.

Part 3:  Service (Rule 4) Continue reading →