Overlawyered » child support

Child support for adult college students, cont’d

Walter Olson — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:45:18 +0000

Two years ago a public outcry helped defeat a Virginia proposal that would have required that divorced noncustodial parents continue to support children in college through age 23. (Our post at the time.) Now, as Hans Bader of CEI points out, Maryland’s legislature is considering a bill (up for hearing Feb. 23) to impose this obligation on parents. It doesn’t look as radical as the Virginia bill — the support obligation would only extend through age 21, not 23, for example — and it’s easy to see why it might appeal to the state university and its budgeters, as well as to pro-custodial-parent constituencies in family law. But it still raises some of the same questions of fairness and practicality, given that children past 18 are legally independent and need not be even on speaking terms with the estranged parents, who may be in no financial position to consider, say, finishing their own delayed college plans, yet are expected to foot college bills for their estranged offspring.

Tags: child support, colleges and universities, Maryland

Child support for adult college students, cont’d is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

September 28 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:57:58 +0000

3M sues prominent Washington lawyer/lobbyist Lanny Davis, says threat of bad publicity improperly used as lawsuit leverage [Above the Law, more, Legal Ethics Forum]
House Oversight Committee report on expanding regulatory state;
Does lefty talking-points dispensary ThinkProgress approve of silencing affirmative action critic Roger Clegg? Decide for yourself;
Robin Fretwell Wilson and Jana Singer debate on scope of religious exemptions in law’s recognition of same-sex marriage [FedSoc Engage] New Heritage backgrounder on same topic cites my writing (in the course of disagreeing). Michael Barone on the politics of the issue, and why he supports the evolution of the law [Examiner]
California: chefs to defy foie gras ban? [LA Weekly via Alkon, earlier on Chicago]
“Massachusetts curbs lifetime alimony payments” [NY Times; Jennifer Braceras, Boston Herald] Many state child support formulas overstate cost of child raising [Bader]
In the mail: new John Fonte book on transnational legal structures, “Sovereignty or Submission” [Encounter Books]

Tags: child support, divorce, foie gras, Massachusetts, regulation and its reform, same-sex marriage

September 28 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

May 16 roundup

Walter Olson — Mon, 16 May 2011 12:12:29 +0000

The Economist on the future of the legal business;
Hairpin reversals of fortune in long-running Barbie v. Bratz doll fight [Cal Biz Lit, earlier]
As I note in Schools for Misrule, institutional reform litigation is alive and well: Reinhardt says 9th Circuit should take over VA’s mental health efforts, Kozinski dissents [LAT, AP, The Recorder]
Court rejects Koch suit over spoof website posing as Koch’s to make political points [EFF, earlier]
“Romeo and Juliet” amendment could soften harsh Texas sex-offense laws [Lenore Skenazy] Law isn’t especially protective of teen boys persuaded to sign paternity declarations [Amy Alkon]
“Disney Trademarks ‘Seal Team 6′” [Atlantic Wire]
Great moments in human rights law: UK high court rules airplane hijackers should have been admitted to country as refugees [five years ago on Overlawyered]

Tags: Alex Kozinski, child support, Disney, libel slander and defamation, Ninth Circuit, trademarks

May 16 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

August 12 roundup

Walter Olson — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:41:44 +0000

“Father demands $7.5 million because school officials read daughter’s text message” [KDAF via CALA Houston]
How many different defendants can injured spectator sue in Shea Stadium broken-bat case? [Melprophet]
Prominent trial lawyer Russell Budd of Baron & Budd hosts Obama at Texas fundraiser [PoL]
DNA be damned: when actual nonpaternity doesn’t suffice to get out from under a child support order [Alkon, more]
“Sean Coffey, a plaintiffs’ lawyer-turned-candidate for New York Attorney General, made more than $150,000 in state-level campaign contributions nationwide over 10 years.” [WSJ Law Blog] “Days before announcing a shareholder lawsuit against Bank of America, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli accepted $14,000 in campaign donations from a law firm hired to help litigate the case.” [WSJ]
Big new RAND Corp. study on asbestos bankruptcy trusts may spur reform [Lloyd Dixon, Geoffrey McGovern & Amy Coombe, PDF, via Hartley, more, Daniel Fisher/Forbes, background here and here] Update: Stier.
Public contingency suits? Of course the elected officials are in control (wink, wink) [The Recorder via Cal Civil Justice]
Copyright enforcement mill appears to have copied its competitor’s website [TechDirt via Eric Goldman]

Tags: asbestos, bankruptcy, Barack Obama, baseball, baseball bats, child support, contingent fee, copyright, Fred Baron, New York, politics, privacy, schools, shotgun defendant selection

August 12 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

81 year old mother sues for child support payments from 60 years ago

Walter Olson — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:31:10 +0000

There’s no statute of limitations on child support, and Rosemary Douglas says she’s still owed the money for the birth of a son during the Truman Administration. [Houston Chronicle]

Correction/update: Commenter Patrick points out that this is an enforcement-of-judgment matter rather than a suit, and offers a reading of Texas law likely to be of interest to the alleged dad in the case.

Tags: child support, statutes of limitations

81 year old mother sues for child support payments from 60 years ago is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Dunning child support for a kid born when the “dad” was … 7?

Walter Olson — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:03:13 +0000

Don’t assume it’s a complete fluke, says Matt Welch, these “deadbeat dads” programs really are set up to resolve every doubt in favor of collection [Reason "Hit and Run", Amy Alkon]

Tags: child support, Florida

Dunning child support for a kid born when the “dad” was … 7? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Annals of celebrity paternity suits

Walter Olson — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:03:59 +0000

At the request of lawyers for actor Keanu Reeves, an Ontario court dismissed a C$3 million suit filed by an unemployed homemaker claiming that Reeves was the father of her children. The defense pointed to negative DNA test results, Reeves’ strong denials that he ever met or had dealings with the woman, and divorce documents attributing the children’s paternity to the woman’s ex-husband. “Sala disputed the DNA results in court … suggesting they had been tampered with or that Reeves used hypnosis to affect the results.” [Herald Sun via Faces of Lawsuit Abuse monthly worst-lawsuit poll, PopCrunch]

Tags: Canada, child support, movies film and videos

Annals of celebrity paternity suits is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

“Texas woman beaten by son must cover legal costs”

Walter Olson — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:06:26 +0000

Teresa Fuller says her 15-year-old son was arrested 20 times for physically abusing her, and that she suffered concussions and other injuries. “Because she’s the boy’s only legal guardian, she is now responsible for his legal bills and court costs. She said because her total wages fall just above the poverty level, her son didn’t qualify for a public defender or an appointed attorney.” More bad news from her from the county attorney’s office: “Fuller does not qualify for a protective order against her son because the only person who can be held responsible for abiding by the order is the son’s parent or legal guardian.” [El Paso Times via ABA Journal]

Slightly related update: Hans Bader writes to say that the Virginia proposal putting parents on the financial hook for support of children up to age 23 attending college has been stricken from the House docket, probably dooming its chances in this session. See Dave Briggman, Richmond Sunlight.

Tags: child support, family law, Texas

“Texas woman beaten by son must cover legal costs” is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

January 20 roundup

Walter Olson — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:19:41 +0000

Renewed attention to Amirault case contributed to Coakley’s political nosedive [e.g., Jacob Weisberg of Slate via Kaus, earlier] First time a Massachusetts prosecutor has paid a political price over that episode?
Many, many Democratic elected officials call for rethinking/renegotiating Obamacare rather than trying to force it through [e.g. Barney Frank] Blue Mass blogger: talk radio fueled ire at Coakley, let’s have FCC shut it down [Graham]
“Big Brother and the Salt Shaker” [NY Times "Room for Debate", Food Liability Law, earlier on NYC initiative and more] NYU’s Marion Nestle “loves” being called a nanny statist, so we’ll just go right on calling her that [Crispy on the Outside]
Terror suspects win right to seek compensation from UK government over restrictions on their activities [Canadian Press]
“Men Without Hats. Meaning no hard hats. Meaning The Safety Dance never met OSHA requirements. No wonder it was shut down.” [Tim Siedell a/k/a Bad Banana]
Italian judge orders father to go on paying $550/month living allowance to his student daughter, who is 32 [Guardian/SMH, earlier on laws mandating support of adult children]
Two informants vie for potential bonanza of whistleblower status against Johnson & Johnson [Frankel, AmLaw Litigation Daily]
“Polling Firm Says John Edwards Is Its Most Unpopular Person Ever” [Lowering the Bar]

Tags: Barney Frank, broadcasters, child abuse, child support, Italy, John Edwards, Massachusetts, nanny state, OSHA, prosecutorial abuse, safety, salt, terrorism, United Kingdom, whistleblowers

January 20 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Child support, through age 23?

Walter Olson — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:06:48 +0000

A bill introduced into the Virginia legislature would put payers of child support on the hook for older kids and indeed young adults so long as they are attending college. [Hans Bader, Examiner]

P.S. A reader writes: “We have this in Connecticut. It is a disaster. On paper, the CT court is to consider all factors as to whether it is reasonable to order a parent to pay child support. In reality, it is ordered whether or not the parent can afford to pay, whether or not the adult ‘child’ even speaks to the parent. So you have children who are basically giving their parent no respect or any sort of relationship who are given a free college ride. It is also used as a tool by vindictive parents against the other parent.” More: Alkon.

Tags: child support, Virginia

Child support, through age 23? is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system