The Attorneys at Dixon & Moseley, P.C.
Strong, Trial-Ready Advocates Protecting Your Rights
As summer break is upon us and families begin to plan trips and vacations for the summer, the issue of dividing and determining summer parenting time becomes an issue for many. In this blog, we will explore 3 tips to make these issues run a little smoother, and hopefully make summer break an enjoyable time for all. 1. Share the…
There is no escaping the endless news stories involving the controversial issue of gay marriage lately, and Wednesday June 26, 2013, was no different. In fact, if you have twitter, facebook, or internet access for that matter, there was no escaping the conversations about the United States Supreme Court decision holding that DOMA is unconstitutional. DOMA stands for the “Defense…
A recent USA Today article focused on the resurgence in marriage after its decline during the economic recession.1 The article reported that there was a 5% decline in marriage rates during the recent recession, coupled with cultural changes about whether and when to marry, with two-thirds (2/3) of first marriages are being proceeded with cohabitation (living together), the projections in…
During the course of domestic proceedings, paternity may be at issue. There are, of course, original paternity actions, but paternity may also be at issue for related cases. For example, a third party seeking to modify custody or get a guardianship of a child will need to explore if paternity has been established before filing. So, who can file a…
There are two general types of adoptions of a minor child. The new family adoption, and the step-parent adoption. First, the new family adoption, which terminates both the Mother and Father’s parental rights, and the new family (new mother and father) acquire the same parental rights as the biological parents once had.1 The second type of adoption is commonly known…
In domestic cases, there may be a number of experts that are called upon to testify during a hearing. For example, a doctor may testify about a child’s medical condition, a CPA may testify about the value of a business, or a clinical psychologist may testify about a custody evaluation performed. However, there are limitations to who is an expert…
Effective July 1, 2013 the Indiana legislature has added a new code section that adds additional rules for parties in a guardianship action to apprise the court of if the Child has been the subject of reported child abuse or neglect, and allows the Courts to seek this information, during a guardianship proceeding. Senate Act 202 add the following new…
A recent blog post explored who was the “victim” in cases of unpaid child support, but the means of collection of unpaid child support is another issue that often needs to be addressed in cases of divorce or paternity. Child support amounts are generally ordered by the Court, and take into account the income and expenses of the parties1. Once…
Adoption laws and cases can often be complex and full of many twists and turns. Today I want to focus on adoptions involving family members, close friends, or often Foster parents vs. new family type adoptions. In many cases, family members, friends, or foster parents spend significant time raising a child, and/or a natural becomes unable to care for his…
In domestic law cases, one aspect of child custody is communication between a parent and child when the other parent has parenting time. Keeping those lines of communication open to allow a child access to both parents via phone, internet, mail or otherwise allows for strong relationships to continue with both parents, despite the child’s physical location. The Indiana Parenting…