The Attorneys at Dixon & Moseley, P.C.
Strong, Trial-Ready Advocates Protecting Your Rights
The short answer is, yes, using marijuana can cause you to lose custody of your child. However, this is not a simple black and white rule. The ever-changing legality of marijuana use from state to state has caused pause in the Indiana legal landscape. Things such as the recent announcement by Marion County that it will not prosecute simple marijuana…
For many of us, Grandparents played an important role in our lives. Now more than ever, grandparents seem to be actively involved in the raising of their grandchild(ren). In many instances, a grandparent may be raising their grandchild all together. If you have found yourself in such a situation, or you know someone who is, you may be wondering, “can…
As we all know, “life happens” and circumstances change. That custody order you once had may seem to become impractical as time goes on. Maybe you moved to be closer to your child and now you want more time. Or maybe you were once on hard times but now feel you are able to offer your child more than when…
The Indiana Department of Child Services (“DCS”) handles the task of investigating reports of child abuse and neglect in an effort to protect children throughout Indiana. DCS has a legal obligation to investigate all allegations of child abuse and neglect and they have specific statutes and procedures that they are required to follow throughout the investigations. Although the goals of…
Often times, individuals feel like asking their soon to be spouse to sign a premarital agreement may be disrespectful, or that even having a conversation about signing one may be awkward. However, premarital agreements, also referred to as prenuptial agreements, actually offer a lot of benefits to couples. While couples contemplating marriage should certainly shoot for the goal of remaining…
Take action now! The holidays are just around the corner. A plan for holiday parenting time needs to be determined before it’s too late. Especially if travel plans are involved now is the time to work out a schedule that will avoid additional stress during the holidays. Even if the parties follow the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines for holidays, avoid…
The Indiana Civil Protective Order Act (“Act”) provides powerful relief to help ensure the safety of certain covered Hoosiers who find themselves in dangerous situations, such as a victim of domestic violence. Additionally, the Act covers certain minor children in harmful situations or individuals, such as from an abusive or drug-addicted parent. While protective orders issued under the Act are unique…
Going through a divorce is one of the most stressful events in a person’s life. On top of the emotional and mental aspects of divorce, it can also create complex financial issues. Common questions include “who gets the house?” or “who gets the retirement fund?”. Unfortunately, there is no hard and fast rule to answer those types of questions. Each…
To find that a child is a CHINS at a fact-finding hearing (trial), DCS must prove three elements: (1) the parent’s actions or inactions have seriously endangered the child; (2) that the child’s needs are unmet; and (3) that those needs are unlikely to be met without State coercion. It is the third of these elements that the Supreme Court…
In most post-divorce cases, there comes a time when a non-custodial parent believes it is “time” to go back to court and move to modify custody. One major mistake parents make is equating the betterment of their life with a substantial change for their children to modify child physical custody. Custody modifications are not uncommon, and presupposing you are not…