Hidden assets – this is a problem in divorce and support cases, tax avoidance, corporate liability and debt collection. The holding of “off-shore” accounts may be used to subvert family law obligations, judgments and legitimate tax obligations. Some lawyers work to help clients with what they call “asset protection,” which […]
When divorce includes property division claims, one of the more difficult tasks is determining how to value the assets, which must be done unless the parties can agree on values. For real estate we usually need a formal appraisal, although sometimes a realtor letter will do. To get net value, […]
Pennsylvania has a strong law protecting people from physical abuse. Generally speaking, persons eligible for relief are family and household members, sexual or intimate partners, and siblings. Covered acts of abuse are causing bodily injury, sexual assault, false imprisonment, physical abuse of minor children, as well as placing someone in […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2016. Astor Weiss Kaplan & Mandel, LLP and the Council on Brain Injury Announce the 10th Annual CoBI Award Celebration to Honor Olympic Soccer Goalie Briana Scurry and Congressman Bill Pascrell and his Congressional Staff and Team Astor Weiss Kaplan & Mandel, LLP is pleased to […]
Just as there are laws regarding divorce in Pennsylvania, there are laws about marriage. These laws address issues such as obtaining a marriage license, a required 3 day waiting period, obtaining a syphilis test and taking an oral examination. There are restrictions on who individuals can marry, including, minors, incompetents, […]
KNOW YOUR LEGAL CUSTODY RIGHTS Parents whose children do not reside primarily with them retain, nonetheless, an equal say in major decisions affecting the children. Pennsylvania has two forms of child custody: legal custody and physical custody. Physical custody is defined as the actual physical possession and control of the […]
by Gerald J. Schorr A bill to shorten the waiting period to establish no-fault grounds for divorce for certain Pennsylvania litigants has passed the state House and been voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. If House Bill 380 comes up for a vote in the state Senate, lawmakers should […]
By Lizzy Mclellan, The Legal Intelligencer February 12, 2016 A Philadelphia jury has handed up an award of $3.1 million in wrongful death and survival act damages to the estate of a motorcycle driver who died after a 2013 collision. After a five-day trial, an eight-member jury in Partlow v. […]
In December 2015, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that under certain circumstances, a step-parent can be required to pay child support for his or her former spouse’s biological children. To become responsible to pay child support, the step-parent must take affirmative legal steps to assume the same parental rights as […]
A common concern when a couple uses a woman as a surrogate to carry their child is that the surrogate will become attached to the child she is carrying and fight to retain custody of the child. In a recent Pennsylvania Superior Court case, the opposite occurred. The woman who […]