New York Family Law Blog

Published on: May 3, 2011

A mom shoots her two children after they talk back

by Stephen Bilkis

A mom has been charged with shooting and killing her two children, a New York Family Lawyer reported. She is being held without bail until the trial.

Month’s earlier police went to her house after being called about a physical abuse incident. The mom had been fighting with her teen daughter. Her 16 year old daughter claimed she was slapped in the face multiple times after arguing with her mother. No physical injuries were seen so the mom was not arrested at that time, according to a New York Family Attorney. This was the first time police ever had a call concerning the mother.

“It appeared to just be typical tensions that parents have with teenagers,” police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said. “The daughter had talked back; the mother slapped her for it. The daughter was upset that she had been punished and then she also expressed regret for the things she had said to her mother, and she knew that she was wrong. Certainly none of that would be an indication that it was going to rise to the level of a mother killing her children.” The police feel that they did everything according to the law and no action could have been taken against the mother that would have prevented this horrible action.

Published on: March 27, 2011

Divorce settlement for Dodger owners will be decided one asset at a time, report New York City Family Lawyers.

by Stephen Bilkis

Divorce court is going to require a lot more time and planning than anticipated for the attorneys for Dodgers owners Jamie and Frank McCourt after an agreement they signed early in their marriage was found to be invalid, according to a New York Family Lawyer and court reports, the Judge involved in the case, after much deliberation, ruled their agreement for property attained during their marriage, to be invalid and not presentable in either case.

“What we do now,” said one attorney involved in the case, “is the court is going to have to decide asset by asset how to award the assets.” She went on to say that the judge’s decision would not equate into a 50-50 division in assets, specifically the ownership of the Dodgers ball club.

Frank McCourt’s attorney insists to NY Family Lawyers that he is the sole owner of the Dodgers and plans to plead this part of the case strongly as the case continues.

Published on: March 25, 2011

Agnostic man enraged over losing custody and accuses courts of Religious bias reports New York Family Lawyers

by Stephen Bilkis

A 29-year old man plans to appeal a court’s child-custody decision because he believes it was a

religious-based decision according to New York Family Lawyers.

The ruling states that the man and his wife did not have the same religious upbringing but when the

Published on: March 22, 2011

Sandra Bullock Arrives on Top After Nasty Divorce

by Stephen Bilkis

No doubt, it takes a great deal of faith, confidence and talent to achieve the ranks of super stardom that the beautiful Sandra Bullock has attained. This American beauty hit the big screen in the nineties with her exciting portrayals of characters that were at once beautiful and yet keenly dangerous. Movies like “Speed” and “Miss Congeniality” earned her a place in our hearts, said one Manhattab Family Lawyer. We just cannot seem to let go.

Bullock has won the Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award, all in the year 2009. Talent and effort does not go unrewarded, reports the New York Family Lawyer, but it does come with a price. In this case her fame and perseverance cost her the marriage that she had once cherished. According to reports, Bullock has filed for divorce from her husband of seven years, Jesse James, a motorcycle enthusiast and television show host.

Sources say that James repeatedly cheated on Bullock and their relationship had suffered as a result of her very busy career. According to the New York Family Lawyer, it is always better to resolve relationship and career issues than it is to ignore them. Casting a blind eye to our troubles is one of the easiest ways to end up in divorce court over time. For superstar Sandra Bullock, life will go on, and she is due to debut in her first major motion picture since her divorce. The film is called “Gravity” and stars George Clooney. Bullock and Clooney make a great on screen duo that will thrill audiences across the world. Bullock has proven to be masterful at creating excitement, drama and humor, both on screen and off and that is why we love her.

Published on: March 18, 2011

Teen Parents Give Students a Hefty Dose of Reality

by Stephen Bilkis

While it is agreed that high school students need to be educated as to the dangers of unprotected sex, for the last twenty years or so the schools have been using the risk of disease and pregnancy as the defining scare tactic to stop young people from having sex, and for the most part, it hasn’t really been working, according to reports by a New York Family Attorney.

Despite the fact that we continue to pump kids full of information and fear in regards to the risk of unplanned sex and irresponsible behavior, the teen birth rate is still 41.5 out of every 1000 births, far higher than other developed nations, reports the New York Family Lawyer. Instead of using disease and pregnancy as the fear factor, however, many schools across the country are adopting curriculum programs that give their high school students another type of reality check, and this one seems to be catching the emotions and the understanding of the young people whom it addresses.

The programs consist mainly of real, financially bound, teen parents who come in and tell their stories and their struggles to the class, according to the New York Family Lawyer. Young people don’t realize that having a child is so much more expensive, emotionally, financially. We have one shot to make it as a parent in this world and when we come at it completely blindsided and unprepared, it is like an avalanche whose effects ripple out farther than we would assume.

Published on: March 15, 2011

School Board Shootings Blur Lines of Safety and Reality

by Stephen Bilkis

A recent shooting at a Florida school board meeting that left the suspect dead and one person injured had an eerie quality to it, a blurring of the lines of reality, according to one NYC Family Lawyer. The suspect spray painted a symbol that was used in a movie V for Vendetta about a masked, anarchistic revolutionary with a hefty respect for Guy Fawkes. The fact that he brought the drama off the screen and into a school board meeting is what seems to haunt the survivors of the incident.

The New York Family Lawyer reports that witnesses gave testament to the look of distance in the eyes of the troubled man who stood before them and threatened them that day in the board room. It was said repeatedly that he seemed completely lost in thought. Spirit and tenacity shined in one very brave woman, who sneaked up behind the gunman and began hitting him with the only thing that she had, which was her purse. Annoyed but not deterred, the gunman grabbed her and pushed her away.

But that momentary distraction was all it took for a brief amount of hesitancy and chaos to begin to ripple through the mind of the suspect, the beginning of doubt. His attempt to shoot to kill miraculously missed the mark. These people he was attempting to bring the big screen to life on were not ready to be extras, said the New York Family Lawyer who had information on the case. In the end, the gunman shot himself and no one else died, but would the situation have been averted if the school board meetings had better security outside of the meeting rooms?

Published on: March 13, 2011

Time is Up for Tax Free Trust Funds, but Those Who Were Privy Saved a Ton Of Cash

by Stephen Bilkis

The window of opportunity may have been small, but regardless it had millionaires and their financial staff worked up into a frenzy towards the end of 2010, reports a New York Family Attorney. There is such a thing known as the Generation Skipping Transfer Tax, which has been in place in America since 1986. This is basically a tax on gifts, inheritances and bequests that occur when skipping a generation, for example by bequeathing a trust fun to your grandchildren.

According to the New York Family Lawyer, there was a small yet imperative window of opportunity during the last two weeks of 2010, unbeknownst to most people, where such a gift could be set up for free. No tax, down from 55% gift tax. That is quite a gift; just ask any wealthy benefactor. Imagine wanting to gift your two million dollar estate to your grand kids only for them to have to pay a million dollar gift tax? Most Americans imagine that being rich is easy, that life is easy when you have money, but in cases like this, it is not so.

According to reports by the New York City Family Lawyer, the window closed once again on January first 2011. Those who got in fast got luck and saved a ton of cash. Those who missed the mark, well, the tax has been lowered for the next two years to 35%, which, though it is no where close to free, is still better than 55%, where it is expected to return in 2013. Moguls, millionaires, and wealthy Grandparents have two full years to take advantage of the 35% rate, but sadly, if you were not paying attention, you might still be kicking yourself for missing out on 0% tax.

Published on: March 10, 2011

The Irony of Farming and Inheritance

by Stephen Bilkis

Recent reports from a New York Family Lawyer indicate that farming families can breathe slightly easier now that President Obama has signed a federal tax bill stating that farmers can pass on their estates of up to 5 million dollars per person to an heir, and to also be able to do so tax free, at least for another two years.

There has been a lot of speculation and worry in the farming industry where family farms are concerned, reports the New York Family Lawyer. Being forced to pay a 35% inheritance tax could mean that the children that you leave your farm to would have to sell part of it off just to pay for the right to keep it, and when it comes to farming, selling off the land itself is the worst thing that you can do, because once the land is gone, so is your ability to grow and plant. It is the irony of farming.

Based on reports from the NY Family Lawyer, farmers are in a better spot than they could be on this, but even so, proper planning and accounting should be put into practice well before the time to pass the family business on comes near. It is imperative to get financial assets in order with the help of a good accountant.

Published on: March 7, 2011

Mel Gibson Charges On Despite Impediments With New Movie Release

by Stephen Bilkis

Mel Gibson has a new movie coming out soon. The film is called The Beaver and will be in theaters on April 8 barring any further complications, according to a New York Family Lawyer that close to the scene. Gibson has been plagued by drama and heartbreak in his real life situation, fighting for custody of his baby Lucia and engrossed in an emotionally challenging legal debacle. These very public battles recently earned him a great deal of unwanted publicity as tapes of admitted physical abuse toward his then girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva began to surface. This drama has put the movie on hold on a number of occasions.

Tensions have risen between the estranged couple, sources revealed to the New York Family Lawyer. Neither one is talking to the other one and the process is admittedly a slow one. There is no doubt that the best interests of baby Lucia will be honored and that the situation will eventually be resolved, disappearing under the well worn rug of public spectacle and settling like dust into the memories of millions of fans who will no doubt be .

Ironically, the new movie mirrors some of the events that have given Gibson such grief recently, according to the New York Family Lawyer. Directed by Jodie Foster, The Beaver stars Gibson as a man with many issues and worries. His troubles are emotional, familial troubles that seem to become more controllable with the uneasy help of his very strange friend, a puppet that he wears on his hand. We haven’t seen Gibson as a crazy man in a while, at least not in the movies. Perhaps this will be interesting.

Published on: March 3, 2011

New Jersey Man Recalls Heartbreak and Joy in Book About Five Year Custody Battle, According to a NYC Family Lawyer

by Stephen Bilkis

There is a lot to be said for dedication and perseverance, according to a New York Family Lawyer. David Goldman is the king of perseverance and dedication in many ways. Back in 2004 his girlfriend took their then 4 year old son Sean to Brazil for what was supposed to be a vacation to visit her parents.

Once they got there, Goldman’s girlfriend broke up with him and said that she was staying in Brazil with their son, effectively disconnecting contact from Goldman with the most important person in his life, reports the New York Family Lawyer. Goldman was not going to be deterred. Bravely and against all odds, he filed for custody and fought for his son for five long years.

Reports that the New York Family Lawyer submitted revealed that even after Goldman’s ex girlfriend died in childbirth in 2008, both the step dad and maternal Grandmother would still not give up the fight for the right to keep Sean. Finally in late 2009, Goldman was elated to win custody of his son, who finally joined him for good.