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By Wayne Hopper, Guest Blogger

In an exciting first, the U.S. Mint is rolling out its much-anticipated American Women Quarters Program. The 2022 release of the program begins circulation this month and features five women from various backgrounds who have been influential in American society and to humanity. The five women chosen for 2022 are Maya Angelou, Dr. Sally Ride, Wilma Mankiller, Nina Otero-Warren, and Anna May Wong. The program will continue through 2025.

In honor of Black History Month, Woodruff Family Law Group takes a closer look at Maya Angelou, a 2022 American Women Quarter Honoree. Angelou was an American writer, teacher, and civil rights activist.

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As COVID-19 persists in our daily lives, the war on vaccines rages on. Many parents continue to disagree about vaccination status concerning themselves and their minor children.  Two parents who currently reside in New Brunswick, Canada, have found themselves in a heated disagreement with each other over vaccines and sought a judge to rule on the disagreement.  The parents, who are not identified in the court ruling, separated in 2019 and share custody of their three children. Continue reading →

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It is finally happening. We’ve written previously on how smart contracts, blockchains, and NFTs may culminate into a new-age method of property ownership. It is now time to put the theory to the test. A virtual currency/smart contract/blockchain/NFT startup is planning on being the first to use these new virtual blockchain technologies to sell a piece of real property. Kind of. Continue reading →

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Sam Willis and Sarah Willis were married in August 1981.  Sam filed his Complaint on March 28, 1985, seeking a divorce from bed and board, alimony, and equitable distribution.  Before the parties married, Sam sold Sarah a house and lot on Claremont Road.  Throughout the marriage, the couple lived at the Claremont Road property.  Sam made all of the mortgage payments during the marriage.  These payments amounted to $9,900.  Sarah appeals from the equitable distribution judgment entered pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 50-20. Continue reading →

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On May 23, 2021, a cable car cabin crashed in Stresa, near Lake Maggiore, Italy.  Eitan Biran, his parents, younger brother, and 11 other people were in the cabin when it plunged to the ground.  Biran was the sole survivor.  The child was born in Israel but moved to Italy with his family when he was just one month old.  Biran had been living in Italy ever since.  After the crash, Biran lived with his aunt in Italy.  While visiting Biran in Italy, Biran’s maternal grandfather drove him to Switzerland without his aunt’s consent and chartered a private jet to take the two back to Israel.  A cross-border custody battle ensued. Continue reading →

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Custody battles sometimes can be bitter affairs between the parents.  In China, it is no different.  Unlike many court orders for child custody in North Carolina, courts in China rarely grant joint physical custody of children to divorcing parties, causing disputes over minor children to be extremely hostile.  The best interest of the child is one of the guiding principles for a judge in North Carolina when deciding how to structure a custodial schedule.  However, in China, judges are of the mindset that keeping children in their existing environment is what is best for their wellbeing. Continue reading →

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A United Kingdom court recently ordered Dubai ruler and UAE Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to pay his ex-wife, Haya bint al-Hussein, a jaw-dropping $734 million in a divorce settlement.  Haya bint al-Hussein in the Princess of Jordan and the couple have two children together.  This settlement in a divorce is one of the largest ever awarded by a court in the United Kingdom. Continue reading →

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Mediation is a fantastic alternative method of settling your case and often more satisfying than going to court.  It is likely that a few issues stand between settlement and more prolonged litigation. This is where mediation can really shine—it lets you laser focus on the few things you really care about. A mediator must be a neutral third party that also happens to be an expert in family law, or a former judge that has decided many family law cases. In all court-ordered mediations, there are rules. In North Carolina, some new rules have been passed and can be found in NCGS § 7A-38.4A. This is a quick reference for how some of those rules will apply to your mediation.

Who can be a mediator for Family Financial Mediation?

The mediator must be certified. A list of certified mediators is published and updated at the NC Courts website. To be certified, the mediator must have an understanding of family law in North Carolina. There is also a laundry list of qualifications, classes, and educational requirements. These requirements can be found in Rule 8 of the Rules for Settlement Procedures in District Court Family Financial Cases. To be blunt, your mediator is highly qualified in the area of family law. Continue reading →

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Defendant Mother appeals from the trial court’s order on child support and custody.  The Court of Appeals reverses and remands.

Plaintiff Father and Defendant Mother married on January 1, 1994.  The parties had two sons and separated on May 10, 1997.  The parties’ divorce judgment was filed on August 17, 1998, which incorporated their separation agreement.  The separation agreement provided a custodial schedule that directed the parties’ two sons to reside primarily with Defendant Mother and to spend every other weekend and summer vacation with Plaintiff Father.  The agreement further provided that Plaintiff Father would pay half of the children’s uninsured medical and dental expenses and $200.00 each month as additional child support. Continue reading →

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Last post, we wrote about some cursory copyright issues regarding non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Today, we are going to dive into what happens when NFTs are part of a divorce. While divorce itself is nothing uncommon or new, the NFT craze and how they will be split up is surely uncharted territory for the courts. Continue reading →