Think it’s easy to divide property at divorce? Think again
Some people think they can handle a divorce on their own, especially if they don’t have children (or they have grown children) and they’re not fighting bitterly. It sounds easy – you know what you and your spouse own, and you can figure out how to split it. Right? In trying to end a marriage […]
Live-in partner walks away with nothing
A New York couple never married, but they dated for 13 years, lived together and had a daughter. During that time, the man purchased property in Manhattan and in the Hamptons, and told the woman that the places were “their” homes. The woman claimed the man referred to the properties as “theirs” and to her […]
Don’t look a gift Porsche in the mouth…
Some states, such as California, are “community property” states where married couples share an equal and undivided interest in almost everything they acquire during the marriage, except for gifts. This led to an interesting divorce case over who owned a sports car that a wife had arguably given her husband as a gift. While the […]
Voluntary retirement didn’t terminate alimony
If you’re thinking about retiring, don’t just assume that your alimony will end when you do so. You’ll want to discuss this with an attorney to make sure you know your rights, and obligations. The highest court in Massachusetts recently held that voluntary retirement doesn’t necessarily mean that the obligation to pay alimony ends – […]
The court denies a mother’s request to relocate with the child
In Matter of Cadet v Lamour, 86 A.D.3d 538 (2011) the mother wanted to move with the child from Brooklyn to Newburgh. The court denied her request and awarded custody to the father, finding that the mother had interfered with the father’s visitation, failed to inform him of important matters regarding the child, (such as […]
2011 Estate and Gift Tax Update
The Tax Relief Act of 2010, passed by Congress in the waning days of the December, 2010, increased the federal estate tax exemption to $5,000,000. However, an equally significant aspect of the new law is the unification of the federal gift and estate tax exemptions. Both exemptions will now be $5,000,000 in 2011, with an […]
