Decoupling Seattle Family Law and Divorce Blog

Will the Court Reduce My Child Support Payment Based on How Much Time I Spend with My Kids?

liz — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:39:22 +0000

Question

My ex and I have two kids together. We’re not divorced yet, but we’ve been separated for several months. Since we split up, we’ve been able to work out a schedule where the kids live half of the time with me, and half of the time with my ex. We have recently decided to move forward with a formal…

Systemic Bias or Selective Fact Finding?

liz — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:07:37 +0000

Last week the Seattle Weekly ran a cover story detailing a supposed “systemic bias” against men in King County’s family court system.

In a rebuttal article – currently posted on Slog, the blog for Seattle’s other weekly, The Stranger – Rao & Pierce managing partner Christopher Rao takes issue with the article’s conclusions, arguing that decisions in family court…

Abraham Lincoln: Divorce Attorney

liz — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:05:11 +0000

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to be in Washington D.C. during the running of the “Abraham Lincoln: An Extraordinary Life” exhibition at the National Museum of American History. The exhibition was wide-ranging in scale, but of particular interest to me was the portion describing Lincoln’s 23-year career as a “prairie lawyer” in Springfield, Illinois. I was…

Getting Divorced When You Have an Infant

liz — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:05:50 +0000

Divorce can be an especially painful process for parents with infants. In addition to the stress and emotion of caring for a new baby, the parents also have to adapt to living apart and co-parenting under less-than-ideal circumstances. And, unlike older children who are capable of expressing their feelings verbally, it can be difficult for parents to determine how their…

The Same Sex Divorce Quandary – Updated!

liz — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 20:24:48 +0000

On a global level, the law regarding same sex marriage seems to be changing every day. Here in Washington, where”everything but marriage” domestic partnerships have been in effect since 2007, the state legislature appears to be on the verge of making same sex marriage legal. And of course, there are six other states in the United States, as well…

WWII-Era Affair Ends 77 Year Marriage

liz — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:55:06 +0000

According to the Telegraph, a ninety-nine year old Italian man has set a new record: world’s oldest divorce petitioner. The man, identified only as “Antonio C.”, discovered letters indicating that his ninety-six year old wife “Rosa C.” had carried on an affair during the 1940s. The devastated man confronted his wife, who admitted that she had indeed been unfaithful…

Understanding De Factor Parentage in Washington State (Part 2 of 3)

liz — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:33:46 +0000

In this three-part series, we’re examining the Washington common law remedy of “de facto parentage,” which will sometimes afford parental rights to individuals who are not legally considered parents to a child, if they can prove that they have – in the words of the Washington Supreme Court – “fully and completely undertaken a permanent, unequivocal, committed, and responsible parental…

On the 12th Day of Christmas, My True Love Gave to Me…

liz — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:51:00 +0000

…a very public divorce plea.

An as yet unidentified individual in Reading, England has chosen a very public medium for her one-item Christmas list. Says the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper:

With just 12 days to go until Christmas ‘Jude’ decided to spread her own festive message by stringing up a banner alongside the M4 motorway proclaiming: ‘For Xmas Dan,

…

Understanding De Facto Parentage in Washington State (Part 1 of 3)

liz — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:59:37 +0000

Washington courts will sometimes afford parental rights to individuals who are not legally related (by blood or adoption) to a child under a common law remedy known as “de facto parentage.” The circumstances in which a person may attain “de facto” parent status are limited, and the law of de facto parentage appears to still be somewhat in flux. In…

Can I Get An Annulment?

liz — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:33:35 +0000

Question

My wife and I got married a month ago. While we were on our honeymoon, I discovered text messages on my wife’s phone which led me to suspect that she’d been unfaithful to me just days before our wedding. I confronted her about it, and she admitted that she cheated on me for much of our 3 year relationship. …