Recently, our office assisted a client in drafting and finalizing a prenuptial agreement between him and his fiancée. While our office has drafted prenuptial agreements and voluntary separation agreements for many of our clients, this client’s situation was a bit unusual. He needed the agreement negotiated and signed within a…
Maryland Divorce Lawyer Blog
Maryland Court Did Not Rule Improperly in Granting Joint Custody to Fighting Parents
In March 2013, the Maryland Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the divorce and child custody case of Reichert v. Hornbeck that illustrated the broad leeway courts have in making child custody determinations. The case arose out of the rocky romantic relationship that ensued when Jeffrey, a recent law…
Same-sex marriage in Maryland
In 2012, Governor O’Malley led a campaign for the legalization of same-sex marriage. This led to the General Assembly passing a law permitting same sex marriage in February 2012. 52.5% of Maryland voters approved the law in a referendum on November 6, 2012. This was the first time marriage rights have…
Maryland Court Affirms Constitutionality of Rules Regarding Natural Parent’s Objections
The Maryland Court of Appeal recently considered constitutional questions in the context of the independent adoption process in In Re: Adoption of Sean. Moira M. and William H. dated from April 2008 to November 2008. On June 16, 2009, Moira M. gave birth to a baby, Sean. The next month…
Case Summary: Sole Legal Physical Custody Awarded to Dad
Recently, our office assisted a Dad who wanted to obtain sole residential and sole legal custody of his two young children. He was a young father, only 21 years old, but he had already demonstrated a level a maturity of someone much older. He had been taking care of the…
Bigamy Can Lead to Misrepresentation Claim in Maryland
In the recent case Bradley v. Bradley, the Maryland Court of Appeals considered the questions raised when a woman sued a man she believed to be her husband for intentional negligent misrepresentation. Mr. Bradley and Ms. Bradley met in 2003 at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Ms. Bradley was responsible for Mr. Bradley’s…
Maryland Court Recently Ruled on the Attorney-Client Relationship in Family Law
This month, a Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruled on Li v. Lee, a case with several family law issues. The facts are complex, but are briefly as follows. A husband and wife met in 1977. In spite of a brief romance, they married other people. Years later, their romance…
Maryland Court Rules On Judge’s Interview of a Child During Custody Battle
The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland recently ruled that a trial judge did not abuse his discretion when questioning a child about custody arrangements in Karanikas v. Cartwright. Rachel Karanikas Cartwright (“the mother”) and Konstantinos Karanikas (“the father”) were originally awarded joint legal custody of their nine-year-old daughter, which later…