New York Family Law Blog

Though it is true that parents are legally responsible for their children’s actions, it is a fact that kids will make their own decisions in the heat of the moment, and not all of those decisions will be well thought out. All kids make mistakes, no matter how well they have been parented. For this reason, our legal system finds it easier to show compassion for first time offenses when a teenager is involved, according to a New York Family Lawyer. 

As a society, we tend to give young people the benefit of the doubt, brushing off first time offenses like possession of alcohol. The New York Family Lawyer reports that in the case of alcohol, leniency may only exacerbate the problem. If children get off the first time, they will often repeat their behavior again later, and when alcohol and automobiles are involved, the combination can be deadly. 

A new proposal is in the works for cities such as Boulder. This new proposition would punish for first time offenses, but would then effectively seal the arrest records so that their offense would not be visible on their permanent record. This would make it easier for them to get a job in the future, and they would still get the effects of a more stringent punishment for their first offense, in hopes that it would deter them from future offenses. 

Underage drinking has the potential to destroy families and lives. It is imperative that we teach our children not to make these mistakes the first time. But if they do make a mistake, if their first offense is followed by punishment rather than a slap on the wrist, it is likely that they won’t choose to repeat it. 

Families in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in crisis need stable support and a strong, knowledgeable hand to guide them.

Continue reading " Sealing records of underage offenders offers the benefit of punishment without the long term career implications " »

Miss Mills is ending her two year relationship for financial reasons, or so it seems. The x-Beatle has been able to hold her off and avoid the long and winding road which will lead to a big pay day for Heather. Paul believes in yesterday. She is thought to have received only a relatively small interim payment. Child abuse and neglect are not at issue here so, no order of protection has been put into effect. Being her own council will enable Mills to question McCartney. This should be very interesting and throw off some high powered fire works.
New York City Family Lawyers as well as those in Manhattan handle these high profile divorces all the time. McCartney seems to be in this situation every few years. Fortunately for him the royalties keep coming in so he can afford the alimony and legal fees.

Continue reading " Paul McCartney's Wife Acting As Own Lawyer-Don't Imitate Her, Get A New York Divorce Lawyer " »

A father in Queens has been arrested for violently shaking his eight month old son to death. The father admitted to officials to repeatedly shaking and even punching the baby in the back when he could not get him to stop crying. The baby was on life support for over a week at Schneider Children's Hospital but could not recover from his extensive injuries and passed away. The mother of the child had left their home on errands, and upon returning only twenty minutes later, found the father calling authorities for help, remarks a New York Family Lawyer. The boy's injuries included a lacerated liver, severe eye and brain damage, and rib fractures. The organs of the child were donated once he was removed from the life support system. The father's original charge is endangering the welfare of a child and assault, but he could be elevated to a murder charge upon facing the grand jury. The District Attorney was shocked that a father could inflict this brutal abuse on such a young and innocent child. Authorities in Nassau and Suffolk County treat these cases very seriously as they should.

Two other children in Queens under the age of two have died from the same brutality in the last month, at the hand of their babysitters. The sitters have been charged with second-degree murder. A third child was also critically injured from a shaking incident. A NY Family Attorney states that no child should be shaken for any reason. It only takes three seconds of this violent act to cause death or damage that cannot be repaired.

Families traumatized by child abuse should contact a New York Family Lawyer. These innocent ones deserve to be protected from such violence. Call a New York Family Lawyer today if your angel has been victimized.

Continue reading " A third child in Queens dies from shaking " »

Christie Brinkley, known for her beauty, is starting to set records for failed marriages. She has announced her separation from her fourth and current husband. A NYC Family Lawyer is constantly involved in these high profile cases. Billy Joel was number two and she and Billy had a daughter together.
After a decade of marital bliss, Brinkley is calling it quits with Peter Cooke. She has a daughter with Cooke, and a son with Richard Taubman who was husband number three. Attorneys in Queens and Staten Island study these cases in case one comes their way.

Taubman made out well when the couple split. He was paid a couple of million to leave the marriage quietly and go on his way. the marriage only lasted 10 months. As for Billy Joel, he was also coming off a failed marriage when he met and married "The Uptown Girl." He is married again to Katie Lee and that one is still going.
Billy has also been involved in a few bad car accidents and has luckily come out of these crashes in tact. He seems to get in these accidents as he travels the roads of Long Island where her grew up. You would thing he'd navigate those roads easily.

If no one is bringing up a problem with child abuse or child neglect, an order of protection does not have to be enforced. Joel has been in and out of rehab for the past several years.

Continue reading " Christie Brinkley Divorced " »

A young girl was abducted and kept in a hidden compound for 18 years. The man which is alleged to of kidnapped her and fathered two children with her by rape, is in court on Thursday. It’s likely that he will plead guilty which will at least give the girl and the family a small amount of justice says a New York City Family Lawyer.
The girl was kidnapped when she was 11 in 1991 and held, locked up secretly for 18 years. The accused is already a convicted rapist with a long criminal record explains the NYC Family Lawyer. The man was convicted of kidnapping and raping a girl in 1977.
The girl disappeared while she was on her way to school and his caused her family a great deal of distress.
It was thought that the defendant would issue a guilty plea. There was a plea deal which would allow him to stay in jail for the rest of his life if he did plead guilty. However, this did not happen.
There were meetings organized and it was thought to be certain that the man would plead guilty.
However, by surprise the man entered the plea not guilty. The man’s lawyer also alleged that the jury was not properly selected and that they did not act correctly. The hearing saw concerns rose over the selection of the jury.
The Lawyer was asked to submit the concerns in writing. However, it’s not actually clear exactly what the concerns are or how they affect the outcome of the case. It’s important that these two people are held accountable for their actions. It’s also important that a clear message is sent to the community regarding this case.
The pair was thought to plead guilty as it would avoid the girl and her children from needing to testify before the court. The two children fathered by rape are now 13 and 16. The kidnapper is expected to get 431 years to life if found guilty. Judges in New York City and Long Island are harsh when it comes to sentencing in this kind of case.
The girl was reunited with her mother and has requested privacy. She also hasn’t attended any of the hearings and does not want to testify because it would bring the horrible memories flooding back.

Continue reading " Dugard Kidnapping Case Expects Guilty Plea " »

Many divorced home owners find it very difficult to remove their name from their mortgage agreement. After buying out the equity stake in the house, the only option that many people have is to refinance according to a New York Family Lawyer. There is however, a much easier option that can help you to avoid the costs and difficulties with refinancing.
Refinancing can actually cost as much as 3-6% of the outstanding balance on the loan. There is however an easy way to avoid this cost. That’s to ask your lender to remove the other partners name from the loan which will leave the loan in only your name. Manhattan and Queens lawyers try to make their services affordable for clients who may not be millionaires.
While this sounds very easy, it’s not actually something that is possible with all lenders. This is known as a release of liability and normally they will need to do a separate credit check on both parties at the time of taking out the loan. They will also normally require both people to agree the changes which could be difficult in some divorces.
The NYC Family Lawyer mentions that this problem is very common and can be messy at times. Many lenders do not have any reason why they would want to take the other lenders name from the loan note.
It’s beneficial to both parties to have the name removed. This will protect the credit report of both. If the spouse did not pay other debts and the name remained on the loan then a lien could be placed against a property. In a similar way, ay missed payments on the mortgage could also damage the credit rating of your ex.
Normally when divorcing the property will either be sold, or one person will buy the stake from the other one. This will need to be completed within a few months. It’s also normally the case that the other party’s name will need to be removed from the mortgage within a year.
Removing your spouse’s name will typically cost between $300 and $1,000 depending on the lender you are with. You will also need to pay an application fee and the process is normally expected to take a minimum of one month.

Continue reading " Divorce doesn’t have to Mean Refinancing " »

Friday, January the 28st 2011 marked the end of a marriage made in Hollywood heaven, said a New York Family Lawyer with inside information. Actress Eva Longoria and her NBA superstar husband Tony Parker terminated their three-year marriage in a courtroom in Texas late last week.

Although anyone who has been following the media storm over the last few weeks which has surrounded the couple knows that the split occurred as a result of Parker’s now infamous infidelity, the divorce petition Longoria submitted to the court flagged irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. In Long Island and Westchester County, divorce cases are handled in a similar way.

Ironically, the state that brought them together was also the state where the storybook marriage came to a dramatic close following Parker’s extramarital tryst. Longoria, who is originally from the Texas town of Corpus Christie, fell for Parker, who is one of the star players for the San Antonio Spurs. On the mend after her painful divorce from Tyler Christopher (of General Hospital fame) in 2004, she fell for Parker. They were married midyear in 2007. The New York Family Lawyer we spoke with said it is not uncommon in the wake of a divorce for unhitched couples to go back to their roots to seek comfort and safety; likely one of the reasons Longoria became involved with Parker.

Fortunately, the couple has the foresight to sign a prenuptial agreement, so the division of assets leaves little to be decided- although Longoria did petition the court for spousal support.

Continue reading " Another Hollywood Marriage Bites the Dust " »

A woman was put in jail after her children were injured after being awarded for good behavior. The mother attempted to award her child who helped her clean the house, a
New York Family Lawyer mentioned.

The 8-year-old and 9-year-old children were taken to the hospital after they fell from the trunk of her car. One of the children is in serious condition. The other child was released from the hospital. Only two of her children fell from the car. It is unknown how many children the woman has.

A police officer said the child has internal injuries. The child is unable to eat or speak.

The woman said she braked quickly to prevent hitting a child on a bicycle causing her children to fall from the car. The police say the child in serious condition has wounds similar to people who was run over with a car. The mother said she did not run her child over.

Even though the woman realized she made a mistake, the judge charged her with two counts of injury to a child. Each charge is a third-degree felony.

The father was at work at the time of the accident. The mother told the court that her children begged to ride on her car’s trunk after helping her. Authorities in The Bronx and Staten Island are particularly hard with these cases.

The woman spent the night in jail because her husband could not afford to post bail. Her bail is $50,000. Child Protective Services has been called in to investigate the safety of the children.

Continue reading " Mother jailed after children fall from top of a car, a New York Family Lawyer explains " »