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Family Law Blog

In Child Support, Family Law Blog

Why a Child Support Order is Necessary in San Diego

Understanding the Importance of Arranging Child Support in San Diego

Child support refers to a parent’s financial support of a child’s everyday living costs, including the consideration of necessities such as clothes, food, and a secure home environment. Although child support is not the only way a parent can contribute to the development of their child, it is particularly important for many reasons.

Although you may be in an uncomfortable situation with the other parent responsible for the child at this time and feel as though you cannot discuss the issue of child support, it is important to recognize that child support can make a real difference to children, not only providing them with the clothing, food, and essentials they need, but also providing a steady foundation for both parents to remain intimately involved within their child’s life.

How to Properly Arrange Child Support in San Diego

Whatever route you take when it comes to caring for and supporting your child through the complicated process of a divorce or separation, it is important to remember the child support that you put in place will help to give them the very best start in life, as well as keeping them secure throughout the journey to adulthood. Child support payments are a legal responsibility, and most of the time, a large majority of separated parents quickly come to an agreement about the costs required to care for their children.

However, making arrangements after a separation can be troublesome, and you may find that you need help from an experienced  family law attorney when it comes to working out the fine details. This is certainly the case if you do not trust your ex and if there are communication problems between the two of you.  Since child support is based on the amount of time you spent with your child and the amount of income made, if there is a lack of trust it can make the process more complicated.  You want to make sure that each person is properly reporting all sources of income, this may involve issuing discovery to look into the finances of each person.

A large percentage of families decide to construct an arrangement between themselves, agreeing formally with the other parent about the type, and how much child support that one will provide to the other. In legal terms, an agreement such as this is called a child support stipulation, however if you find that you cannot agree or that there is excess difficulty coming to terms, there are other ways to arrange child support.

The Options for Arranging Child Support in San Diego

One option for parents unable to come to an agreement about child support arrangements is by seeking the assistance of Department of Child Support  Services or DCSS. DCSS is a service the government runs to arrange support on your behalf, however they will only assist the custodial parent who is the payee or the receiver of support. DCSS will analyze the figures and make a decision on how much the paying parent (non-custodial parent) should pay to the receiving parent (custodial-parent ). This amount is calculated using a standard formula which allows the service to work out an enforceable amount then collect payments from the paying parent to be passed onto the receiving parent.  It is always helpful to have DCSS involved with the enforcement issues because they can monitor whether payments are received or not and also apply interest to any arrears.

The other option would be to hire an experienced family law attorney to assist you with calculating support.  An attorney will be able to examine all the factors used to calculate guideline child support and make sure that all income is factored in properly.  There are different types of income and they will need to be applied differently. For example, if one party is in the military and receives BAH, this is a non taxable income that needs to be calculated as non taxable.   An experienced family law attorney can assist you with this calculation and analysis of income.

Do I Need An Order, Can’t I Just Come to a Verbal Agreement?

If you and your partner are co-parenting and have an agreement between you for child support, you must get it made into an order of the court!  If there is no child support order, there is no obligation.  If a payment is missed, there is no one to enforce this payment unless it has been made into an order of the court.  If there is no obligation than there is no need to pay.  It is important to protect your child and yourself by having any agreements memorialized into a court order.  An experienced family law attorney can assist you with preparing a stipulation to send to court.

 Minella Law Group Can Help!

 Whether you need to obtain a child support order, have an existing order modified, or enforce an order, it is best to speak with an experienced San Diego family law attorney at Minella Law Group. Your attorney will work to make sure that the court considers all factors that are in your favor when making its decision.  Please call (619) 289-7948 to schedule a consultation.

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In Adoptions

Effect of Stepparent Adoptions

Stepchild Adoption and the Effect of an Adoption Order

If either your partner, or yourself have children from a previous marriage or relationship that currently live with you, you are already part of a step-family. Much of the time, when a stepparent is living with a child, taking complete responsibility for them on a daily basis, they feel the desire to acknowledge their relationship with that child on a more formal level through the process of adoption.

As the partner of the child’s natural parent, a stepparent has the right to apply to adopt that child and the process that you engage in will depend on what is best for yourself, and your family.

What is an Adoption Order in San Diego?

In order for a stepparent to adopt their partner’s child, the legal relationship between that child and their other natural parent must be ended, along with any legal relationship with that side of the family’s extended family network, such as grandparents and aunts. This can be a particularly difficult part of the process, since some children feel as though they are being given the choice to decide between which adults are their favorite, and they may later blame the stepparent for this if they feel they are pushed to hastily into the wrong decision.  As the stepparent, you have the right to allow the child to maintain a relationship with their extended family.  This decision should be made in the best interest of the child, if the child has a great relationship with grandparents it would be detrimental to just deny them the right once the parental rights with the biological parent has been terminated.

One important note to remember, once the adoption process is complete the child loses their inheritance and maintenance rights from the other parent, giving you complete responsibility over them. You may decide whether you would like to change their surname which can be done through the adoption process,  and your stepchild will walk out of the adoption hearing with your name and as your legal child. Even if you and your partner go through a divorce, you will still be the legal parent of his or her child.  The adoption is not terminated or revoked just because the marital status is terminated.  You are officially the parent of that child once the adoption is granted!

What is a Parental Responsibility Order or an Agreement?

There are alternatives to the adoption order, such as the PR order or agreement, which enables a step-parent to gain responsibility for their step-child by court order or agreement if they have become the partner of the child’s parent. If someone’s wife or husband is the only person with parental responsibility for the child, they can formally agree to share that responsibility with you, however, if the child’s other parent also has parental responsibility, they must agree to this share, also.  This may be a great alternative to giving rights where rights cannot be obtained since there are already two parents caring for the child.

What is a Residence Order?

This kind of order names the individual that the child is going to live with on a daily basis. If one of the people named on this order does not have parental responsibility already, the order should give it to that person, allowing them to share parental responsibility with the child’s parents, without giving them the same exact rights.

In this particular case, neither the step-parent nor the parent will be allowed to take the child away from the country of residence for more than a month without permission from the court, nor will they be able to change their surname. With a residence order, a step-parent cannot decide on a guardian to care for a child should they die, and in effect, the order will give you some form of security and stability, but without the permanence, an adoption order allows.

 Minella Law Group Can Help!

If you need assistance with your stepparent adoption, the qualified staff at Minella Law Group can assist you.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, click the button below, or call us at (619) 289-7948. We look forward to helping you.

 
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In Adoptions, Family Law Blog

Termination of Parental Rights: Voluntary vs Involuntary

The Difference between Involuntary and Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights

As a parent, you automatically gain a certain set of rights. Your parental rights are the factor that imbues you with the responsibility necessary to properly nurture the physical and emotional well-being of your child. As a parent, you are capable of making decisions for your child where they potentially could not make an informed decision of their own accord, and these decisions should be in the best interest of the child in question.

These decisions could relate to a wide range of potential religious practices, beliefs, health concerns, and medical care and public, private, or even home schooling. Because you’re the child’s parent, you have the right to look after, raise, and teach your child in the manner that you see fit, so long as this coincides with the boundaries of the established laws. However, these rights do not necessarily have to be permanent; they can be terminated, either voluntarily on your behalf, or involuntarily through the order of a court judge.

Understanding Involuntary Termination of Parental Rights in San Diego

If your parental rights are involuntarily terminated, this will involve the court making the final decision that the termination of your parental rights is in the best interests of the child. There are various reasons why a court may decide that your parental rights should be involuntarily terminated, including:

  • Neglect of the child in question
  • Abandonment
  • Drug or alcohol abuse that would make looking after the child difficult or impossible
  • Abuse, physically or emotionally
  • A felony or conviction of a crime against children
  • The inability to emotionally, physically, or financially support your child.

In these cases, parental rights are not automatically terminated, there is still a process that must be considered, unless the parent has abandoned the child as an infant, or has been convicted of a voluntary manslaughter or murder charge, or has caused some bodily harm to a child.

Understanding Voluntary Termination of Parental Rights in San Diego

There are many circumstances wherein the voluntary termination of parental rights may be the best possible option for the child. Birth parents can voluntarily relinquish their parental rights when they place their children up for adoption, or hand them over to adoptive families. In this case, the adoptive parents will receive the parental rights over that specific child.

Furthermore, if any parent decides at some time that they do not want to be responsible for their child any longer, they have the right to terminate that responsibility by relinquishing their rights, or beginning the process for termination of parental rights. However, many states do require that any parent who requests to relinquish their parental rights must appear before a judge.

If a child is put into a foster care, this does not mean that the parental rights will be automatically terminated. It is generally up to the specifics of the situation, and the judge’s discretion, since some children can be temporarily put into foster situations until the father and mother are capable of parenting. If parental rights are terminated in this particular situation, the child can be adopted and is referred to as a ward of the state.

 Minella Law Group Can Help!

If you need assistance with terminating parental rights whether it be voluntary or involuntary, the qualified staff at Minella Law Group can assist you.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, click the button below, or call us at (619) 289-7948. We look forward to helping you.

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In Adoptions, Family Law Blog

Terminating Parental Rights

Stepchild Adoption and Termination of Parental Rights in San Diego

The process of terminating parental rights results in a court order given by a judge which permanently severs the legal relationship between a child and parent. Typically, this process takes place when a court finds one or both parents to be unfit to raise their child, or when one or both parents decide to give up their parental rights in order to put their child up for adoption.

In a stepparent adoption in San Diego County, the adopting parent’s partner, and the child’s biological parent will retain their parental rights, but the legal relationship between the child and the other parent will be terminated.

A Concrete Transfer

Once this relationship has been terminated, that biological parent relinquishes all of their responsibility for and rights to the child, and the adoptive parent acquires these responsibilities and rights. Because of this, it is possible to regard stepparent adoption as the permanent transfer between two parties, of parental responsibilities and rights.

Once the adoption process for the stepparent has been completed, it cannot be nullified or revoked except for in very serious situations such as fraud, mental illness, disability, or legal defect. This means that if the stepparent and biological parent go through a divorce, the adoption process is not terminated.

How to Proceed with Adoption as a Stepparent

If you feel as though you would like to begin the process to adopt your step child, as a stepparent, you must be sure that you meet all of the legal requirements necessary. First of all, you, as the adopting parent, and the biological legal parent must be in a domestic partnership or marriage that has been registered within the state you live in.

If you are not partners with the child’s parent, there is a possibility that you will still be able to adopt through a process called ‘second parent adoption’, this is a more complex process that requires a thorough analysis of the facts.  The adopting, or stepparent, must be at least eighteen years old, and is often required to be ten years older than the child that they are adopting, but this requirement can be waived in some circumstances.

Acquiring Consent for the Adoption Process

One of the most important and complex steps of the adoption process is to obtain all the necessary consent. First of all, you will need to sit down and speak with your partner or spouse about the idea of adoption, and ensure that he or she agrees to it. After this has been established, you may need to get consent from the other legal parent of the child.

This can be particularly complex, and if you cannot get the consent required from the other parent in question, there are certain circumstances that may mean you are eligible to adopt the child as a stepparent anyway. For example, if the birth parent in question is unable to support or care for the child on an emotional, physical, or financial level, then their parental rights may be involuntarily terminated.

The biological parent can consent to the adoption and termination of their parental rights.  This will make the process easier as they will need to sign a form and the process is streamlined. There are ways to negotiate consent if there are significant child support arrears, they can be waived if consent is given.  Additionally, contact and visitation can also be agreed upon if consent is given.  Negotiating a settlement to avoid trial is best for everyone involved.

If the biological parent does not consent to termination, the court will have to decide.  This is done with a trial to see if the biological parent has abandoned the child as determined by the law.  There are different ways to deem that the child has been abandoned, the most common would be to show no contact or communication with the child for a period of one year.  An analysis of the facts involved needs to occur before filing a request to terminate rights to determine which method should be used.  This is a very serious process as the court does not terminate parental rights just because; the court needs to make decisions based on the best interest of the child.  You should consult an attorney to assist you with this request as there are many details involved.

The Child has a Say at Age 12

If the child in question is over twelve years of age, they must also consent to the adoption process.  If the child is under the age of 12, a social worker will determine if the adoption is in the child’s best interests.  Either way a social worker is assigned to investigate and meet everyone involved to determine if this placement is best for the child.  They will visit the home as well as interview all the parties involved.

 Minella Law Group Can Help!

If you need assistance with a step parent adoption and terminating parental rights, the qualified staff at Minella Law Group can assist you.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, click the button below, or call us at (619) 289-7948. We look forward to helping you.

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In Family Law Blog

May Victories!

The staff at Minella Law Group is still buzzing over the recent victories we received on behalf of our clients.  May was a busy month at MLG with 4 contested cases and 4 successful outcomes!! We could not be more proud.

First, we successfully opposed a renewal to a domestic violence restraining order for a father of 3 minor children.  At the time the Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) was issued Father was unrepresented and was not aware of how impactful a restraining order is on your life.  The DVRO was issued for a period of 3 years for no contact with the mother.  Father is a military veteran who left the military on disabled status and was living in Canada with his family.  As a result of the restraining order every single time he crossed the border to access his medical appointments which were extensive he would be held for hours and it was a huge burden on him.  Additionally, he is a Native American Tribe leader and was not able to own or operate any weapons and therefore could not hunt for his tribe.  We had a 3 hour hearing at which point the judge found that Mom did not have proper motives for filing the renewal and her request was denied.  It was a long-awaited victor for Father!

Next, we represented Mother in a custody battle with her ex husband who was recently in a domestic violence altercation with his current wife in front of the son, which step-mom was ultimately arrested for.  We filed an ex parte request to suspend all visitation with Dad due to the fight that occurred in front of the son which resulted in the son calling 911 for help.  The judge suspended all visitation until a further investigation could occur.  Father missed his Family Court Services appointment and at the next hearing did not give any valid reason why. During that hearing, Father also lied repeatedly under oath and penalty of perjury about the circumstances surrounding the event.   We requested the court deny any and all visitation until further court order because of Dad’s actions.  The judge agreed and Mom was awarded sole legal and physical custody of the child until further court order. This was a wonderful outcome for the child and for his mother, our client, as well.

We also successfully opposed a move away request which allowed the child to stay in Dad’s care full-time.  Dad and Mom had a very contested custody case where Dad had a 23% timeshare with the minor child and was working on gaining joint legal custody against Mom’s objection.  In late 2013 we filed a request to modify custody to change the custody arrangement to joint legal and allow the child to spend equal time with both parents.  When Mom caught wind she began looking for jobs in different states and ultimately secured a job in Utah and she filed a request to move the child with her.  We opposed the motion and the parties participated in Family Court Services Mediation where it was recommended that the child move with Mom.  We decided that we would fight this recommendation and we had an evidentiary hearing on the issue.  We showed Mom’s unwillingness to allow any additional time with child when Dad would ask, we showed Mom’s email communication which was hostile and belittling, we also showed that the reasons for Mom’s move were vindictive and done with the motivation of keeping the child out of Dad’s life.  The judge agreed and ordered that the child would remain in Dad’s care full-time and Mom would have visitation rights.  This was a long overdue victory for this father!

Finally, we closed out the month with a contested termination of parental rights for a pending step parent adoption.  Bio Dad had not been in his son’s life for over two years, but when he heard about the pending adoption decided to contest the termination request.  The facts were very clear in this case, what was not clear was the active case in Indiana where the child was originally from.  Bio Dad claimed to have filed multiple custody modification cases in an active effort to see his son.  When the parents met with the social worker assigned to investigate the stories told were complete opposite.  Bio Dad lied repeatedly to the social worker about facts and events that took place over the last two years.  As a result, the recommendation was not in our favor.  We were lucky in managing to get the entire Indiana case file overnighted to us in time to file all the records with the court to verify Bio Dad’s lies.  We had a one day trial with 4 witnesses and 40 pieces of evidence to admit.  It was shown through testimony that Bio Dad was lying about several facts and had in fact not seen or communicated with his son in over two years nor had he made any attempts to do so.  After review of the evidence and testimony submitted, the Judge agreed with our position and ultimately terminated Bio Dad’s parental rights.  This will allow the child to eventually be adopted by his step-father who has been a constant in his life for the past 3 years and is the only father the child has known.  This was a wonderful outcome for the whole family and we were so proud to be apart of it!

We love to be able to share these success stories of our clients and are so proud to be a part of every one.  If you think you have a case that you need assistance with please call 619-289-7948, or click the button below,  to schedule a consultation at no cost. We look forward to helping you.

 

In Domestic Violence Restraining Orders

Domestic Violence Restraining Order Renewals

Domestic violence restraining order renewals (DVTRO’s) should not be taken lightly as criminal and civil penalties attach to the orders.  During the existence of the orders the restrained party needs to adhere to the orders to make sure there have been no violations.  Having a domestic violence restraining order on your record can seriously impact your life.  A DVTRO will show up on background checks and might prevent you from getting a job or coaching a sports team.  If the restrained party needs to cross the border, this can cause detainment as well as a more thorough search of belongings.  Most importantly, the restrained party cannot possess any firearms while there is a DVTRO.  A restraining order can last up to five years, however upon the expiration of the order the protected party can file a request for a  Domestic Violence Restraining Order Renewals up to three months before the expiration of the order.  The judge will consider their request and has the authority to grant a permanent restraining order which would be in existence until further court order.  The potential is there for the DVTRO to remain in place for the restrained party’s entire life!

Can I Contest A  Domestic Violence Restraining Order Renewal?

Absolutely! California Family Code § 6345 states “In the discretion of the court, the orders may be renewed upon the request of the party, either for five years or permanently, without a further showing of abuse since the issuance of the order.  If the restrained party does contest the renewal, the protected party is not entitled to a renewal merely due to desire. Family Code § 6345 does not provide the trial court shall automatically renew the existing protective order, it only states the court may do so in the proper discretion of the court.   In exercising its discretion, the court must inquire beyond only the petition party’s subjective desire to have the protective order extended.  Just because a judge found sufficient grounds to grant a protective order three years earlier does not necessarily mean sufficient grounds remain.

What Does the Court Examine When Determining Renewal?

In a 2004 California Court of Appeals case Ritchie v Konrad (2004) 115 Cal.App.4th 1275, the court laid out the factors the court considers when determining whether or not to renew a DVTRO.  Here are the factors:

  1. A trial court should renew the domestic violence prevention restraining order, if, and only if, it finds by a                preponderance of the evidence that the protected party entertains, a ‘reasonable apprehension’ of future abuse.
  2. The existence of the order itself often will be less telling than the facts supporting its issuance. ,The trial judge ordinarily should consider the evidence and findings on which that initial order was based in appraising the risk of future abuse should the existing order expire.
  3. It is relevant to the court to examine any significant changes in the circumstances surrounding the initial protective order as it may be that the opportunity and likelihood of future abuse has diminished to the degree that they no longer support a renewal of the order.
  4. If the abuse is not physical, it is also relevant to consider the burdens the protective order imposes on the restrained party.

 Who’s Burden Is It?

The burden of proof is on the protected party to prove to the court by a preponderance of the evidence that there is a reasonable apprehension of future abuse. It should be noted that the burden is very low.   The protected party only has to demonstrate it is more probable than not there is a sufficient risk of future abuse to find the protected party’s apprehension is genuine and reasonable.

If the protected party can meet their burden of proof, the restrained party will have to show there is NO reasonable apprehension.  This is done by demonstrating the factors the court can consider do not prove a reasonable apprehension.  For example, have the restrained and protected parties moved on with their lives so far that the opportunity and likelihood of future abuse has diminished to the degree they no longer support a renewal of the order?

Minella Law Group Can Help!

If you need assistance with a  Domestic Violence Restraining Order Renewal the qualified staff at Minella Law Group can assist you.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, click the button below, or call us at (619) 289-7948. We look forward to helping you.

 

In Divorce

Defining “No Fault” Divorce

In 2010, New York became the last state in the country to become a “no fault” divorce state. (California was the first to eliminate all fault grounds for divorce.) “No fault” means that it doesn’t matter why either party wants a divorce. All you need to get a divorce is for one spouse to say that the marriage is broken beyond repair. To translate that into legal terminology, the spouses are experiencing “irreconcilable differences.”

What is “At Fault” Divorce?

“At fault” (or “fault”) divorce refers to a legal system that only grants divorce if one spouse can show that the other spouse did something wrong. In other words, one spouse must be at fault for the failure of the marriage. Continue Reading

In Divorce

My Spouse Filed for Divorce: A Step-by-Step Guide of What’s Next

In California, it only takes one spouse to end a marriage, and your spouse does not have to prove you’ve done something wrong. If you’ve received a petition and summons for dissolution, your spouse is seeking a divorce. This can be a stressful and confusing time. The whole process takes at least 6 months to complete. Knowing what to expect can help ease the burden.

Responding to the Petition and Summons

In the petition, you can see what your spouse is asking of the court, including child custody preferences and support payments. The petition will also contain some restrictions on what you can do while the process moves forward, such as selling property or moving your children out of state. Continue Reading

In Family Law Blog

December 2013 Family Events

Here are a few family-friendly events happening in San Diego in the coming month. As always, if you know of an event you think the families we work with should know about, please let us know so we can pass it along.

 

San Dieguito Heritage Museum

Hands-on Activities for Families

December 7, 2013, 12pm – 4pm

450 Quail Gardens Drive Encinitas, CA 92024

 

City Ballet of San Diego

Sugar Plum Fairy Luncheon

December 14, 2013, 12 noon

Bristol Hotel, 1055 First Avenue, Downtown San Diego

 

 

Campfire San Diego

New Years Eve Kids Count Down & Overnight

December 31, 2013, 5pm

3101 Balboa Drive San Diego, CA 92103

 

 

In Family Law Blog

Where do You and Your Kids Connect?

According to tradition, the first Thanksgiving holiday became a monumental occasion marketing the intersection of two cultures—the Native Americans and the Pilgrims settling in the New World. The Native Americans helped the Pilgrims survive particularly harsh times, helping them understand how to farm the land, trap food, and many other critical techniques that would’ve cost many more lives if the Pilgrims had been left to their own devices.

Despite their difference and many ongoing challenges, these two unique cultures were able to connect and communicate in valuable ways. Let’s take this larger idea and bring it over to the challenges that parents can have trying to connect and communicate with their kids. Aside from the obvious age difference, there are many other variables that can impose a seemingly impassable divide between adults and children—but it doesn’t have to be that way!  Continue Reading

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