The Attorneys at Dixon & Moseley, P.C.
Strong, Trial-Ready Advocates Protecting Your Rights
Most litigants speak of custody loosely today and take it to mean who has the children, with the other parent getting Indiana Parenting Time Guideline time with the children and paying child support. In other blogs, we have posted materials to differentiate physical custody from legal custody and parenting time. This blog focuses solely on legal custody as more and…
In divorce and paternity cases, the term “custody” has a number of different meanings. If you are contemplating divorce or in the process, understanding this term is key. If you are divorced or paternity is established, you might think you understand the “custody” terms you agreed to in reaching an agreement or as ordered by the court; but if you…
In many divorce and paternity cases, a continuum is presented where the parent-child relationship may be strained to non-existent. Parents want to see their children. Children want to spend time with their parents. This is a basic bond of parent-child relationships and why parents have a fundamental right to rear and make decisions for their children—one of the oldest and…
The Indiana Department of Child Services (“DCS”) is tasked with investigating thousands of reports of abuse or neglect of children each year. This agency is literally the protector of children from certain parents. However, perhaps the oldest and most fundamental of constitutional rights is to raise one’s children as he or she sees fits, despite what the state may think…
Family law, like every other profession, has its own language; a language that can be misunderstood, or may stand for many things depending on the context in which it is used. This blog covers the five key definitions that are used correctly, incorrectly, or a combination of both, in child custody proceedings. The better you understand these terms, the more…
What You Know May Hurt You and Impact the Rest of Your Child’s Life Juvenile delinquency means that a child, but for his young age, is alleged to have committed a delinquent act which would be a crime if he or she is an adult. The parents’ decisions for the child at the beginning of such a matter may literally…
Let’s face it. There are some parents that just cannot agree on certain issues related to their child, such as extracurricular activities or (legal) discipline of the child. As a result, Indiana has started utilizing a newer method to address co-parenting in these situations. This blog post focuses on parallel parenting, a concept targeted toward parents experiencing consistent conflict due…
Parents have a right to raise their children without state interference under what has been referred to as the most fundamental right in the United States Constitution. However, there is a point where parental decisions cross the line into abuse or neglect or children engage in activities that would be criminal if they were adults. When this occurs, Child Protective…
Without question, more third parties–from neighbors to grandparents–are caring for or raising others’ children. What are their rights to contact, visitation, parenting time, and custody of the children they are caring for and/or raising? This is a complex factual and legal question since the United States Constitution provides biological (and adoptive) parents with the fundamental (i.e., high level) right to…
A controversial topic across the United States with divorced families or children born out of wedlock is: “Who pays for post-secondary education?” Post-secondary education is generally defined as education beyond high school. A recent national case in New Jersey brought this matter to the forefront. Here Caitlyn Ricci sued her parents for tuition at Temple University and lost that battle.1…