Archives

Gibson receives more child visitation hours

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Visitation on Wednesday, December 22, 2010. With the latest round of a highly publicized child custody battle, Braveheart actor Mel Gibson was granted additional visitation hours with his daughter. According to sources, the 54-year-old actor will get extra visitation time to spend with his toddle-aged daughter Lucia. This small victory for Gibson is a big turn in the opposite direction of what his ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva was hoping for, which was too actually take away more time that the father and daughter could see each other. Since the couple split in May, both the tabloids and courtroom have

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Man jailed for not being able to afford child support payments

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Support on Monday, December 20, 2010. Right now a judge’s decision in Georgia is being questioned due to a man being held in jail for not paying child support, even though he literally had only 39 cents in his account at the time of his arrest. The 39-year-old father and veteran, was jailed for not being able to pay child support for his 16-year-old daughter. According to sources, after losing his job the man fell behind by only making partial payments, and eventually also lost his home to foreclosure. Due to his financial situation, it is

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Just got divorced? You might end up even healthier

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Wednesday, December 15, 2010. While divorce can be troubling and trying on any man, a recent study has come out saying that in the end men might actually get healthier after getting out of the marriage. According to researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden those who have gone through a divorce have a significantly higher increase in exercise. The study claims that since these divorced men are now single there is more of a societal pressure to keep themselves fit and attractive to increase the odds of finding someone new. The

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A long wait, but father finally wins custody of his kids

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Monday, December 13, 2010. In August of 2008 an Illinois mother lost custody of her two children, and after more than two years of the young kids being fostered by an aunt, the state has now finally awarded custody to the father. A recent article looked at the court’s decision, and the complicated child custody case the father had gone through in order to just have custody of his two biological kids again. According to sources, when the children were first taken away from the mother, the father was actually in jail on a

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International child abduction still a real problem: Part 2

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, December 9, 2010. Two days ago this blog looked at the problems surrounding international child abduction by a parent, but focused on Japan. However, as was mentioned, Japan has at least expressed an interest in signing the 1980 Hague Convention, however, India is proving even more difficult to work with as the country’s concern is to keep the child in India. According to the Washington Post article that focused on child abduction, India has shown no signs of signing the convention, which would greatly impact the outcome of a child being

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Father claims to have lost custody due to his religious beliefs

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Friday, December 3, 2010. An Indiana man is claiming a commissioner used his religion against him when deciding who would receive custody of his children. The father is claiming his ex-wife received full custody of the couple’s three children just because his is agnostic, and does not share the same religious beliefs as his ex-wife, who is a Christian. According to sources, while the commissioner did look at religious instruction when making the child custody decision, it was not the only factor involved. The ruling also mentions a protective order that the mother once

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Judge attempts to take paternity test for the second time

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Support on Wednesday, December 1, 2010. A Texas judge has agreed to take a paternity test to prove whether or not he is the father of a 17-year-old boy. The issue is now coming to light, as the mother of the teenager is taking him to court for back child support, which if it turns out he is the father, the judge says he is more than happy to pay. “I’m I’m the father, let’s do this legally and correctly,” the judge, who solely works with family law cases said. According to sources, the judge

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Daughter of ‘Teen Mom’ star living with dad

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, November 26, 2010. ‘Teen Mom’ star Amber Portwood is facing domestic violence and battery charges, and is no longer living with her daughter, two-year-old daughter Leah. According to an All Headline News report, Portwood and her ex-fiancé Gary Shirley appeared at a closed hearing on Tuesday in regards to the placement of the couple’s child. At this point, neither parent has been officially awarded child custody as Leah has been declared a ward of the state, which means a judge, will determine the girl’s guardianship, and appoints a government agency to look over

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Father reunited with son after international custody battle

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Fathers’ Rights on Thursday, November 18, 2010. After 15 months of trying to get his son back from his estranged wife, a Montana man is being recognized as the first person ever to get his child back from the Bahamas using the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. But for the 30-year-old father, all he hopes is that other parents don’t have to go through what he did in order to get back his child custody rights. According to sources, the Montana man’s story dates back to the summer of 2008 when

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Lamar Odom suing ex for visitation rights

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Visitation on Monday, November 15, 2010. Basketball and reality TV star Lamar Odom is suing his ex-girlfriend for visitation rights of his two kids. According to an article in the New York Post, Odom, who plays for the LA Lakers and is married to Khloe Kardashian, wants a judge to set a “parental access schedule,” and also set a “reasonable” amount of child support for his two children, L.J., 9, and Destiny, 12. Odom filed the petition with the Manhattan Supreme Court on Nov. 5. The two children live with mom, Liza Morales, in Manhattan, who is

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Being a peacemaker versus a warmaker

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Wednesday, November 10, 2010. A recent article suggests that the way for dads to have positive results in their custody cases is to be seen as a peacemaker versus a warmaker in the courtroom.  “A peacemaker does not cause disruptions.  A peacemaker is not inflammatory.  A peacemaker doesn’t engage in name calling.” This is the exact opposite of what a lot of fathers believe based on misinformation often disseminated to them. You may think that your soon-to-be ex-wife is evil and vile and think you should tell the judge in writing.  However, the article

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Social media a factor in many divorces

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Monday, November 8, 2010. More and more couples are blaming texting and social media sites for infidelity leading to divorce. In a recent NPR article, “Can Social Media Break Up A Marriage?,” a sociologist and marriage therapist said yes, social media and texting can lead to connecting with new and old flings, which can lead to divorce. According to sources, in one such case, a man and his wife both added text messaging to his and her cell phone plans. And even after his friends mentioned his wife texting all the time, he thought

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Advice for putting the kids first in divorce

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Divorce on Friday, November 5, 2010. Divorce and co-parenting can often be hard on children. If both mom and dad are always at each other’s throats, a child can feel stuck in the middle and even criticized for loving both parents. But, on a bright note, Dr. Christine Costello, who is a clinical psychologist, recently said she’s seeing more and more divorced parents working together when going through a divorce, therefore, saving a lot of heartache for the couple’s children. A recent Baltimore Sun article looked at how parents can go through a divorce and child custody

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NBA player fighting for custody of two boys

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Wednesday, November 3, 2010. NBA player Dwyane Wade, who plays for the Miami Heat, is taking a vow to not give up, only he’s not referring to basketball. Rather he’s talking about his ongoing custody battle. Wade, who’s made headlines during his free-agency decision a few months ago, has also been making headlines as he and his ex-wife and former high school sweetheart, Siohvaughn Funches. The two have been going through a brutal divorce and bitter child custody battle since 2007. Wade wants full custody of both the couple’s children. According to ESPN, Wade

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Men’s rights in Missouri: A quick synopsis and some tips

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Saturday, October 30, 2010. Although many men work off the assumption that they will not get a fair shake in the legal system, there is actually no presumption in Missouri that a mother is automatically entitled to sole custody.  The tender years doctrine (a doctrine that provided that custody of children under 13-years of age should be awarded to mothers) has long been abolished in Missouri. Instead, Missouri law has a presumption of joint custody. When the facts of a case call for it, courts can and do award joint or sole custody to men based

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Paternity cases not optional for unmarried fathers

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Friday, October 29, 2010. With national data showing the out-of-wedlock birth rate somewhere around forty-percent, paternity cases are on the rise and almost as common as divorce these days.  When a child is born, but the parents were not married at the time of birth, and marriage was not an option for whatever reason, the appropriate case for a father to file to determine if he is dad and, if so, how child custody and support should work is by filing a paternity action filed in the circuit court in which the mother

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What if my ex wants to move with my kids?

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Custody on Thursday, October 28, 2010. If you get divorced in Missouri and you have children, or were part of a prior paternity case where a custody judgment was entered, the mother is to provide notice to you before she can move with your children. This is required by Missouri law according to 452.377 RSMo. This statute gives a procedure by which you must give notice that you are moving and what the notice must contain. This applies whether she is moving nearby within the same county or wants to relocate outside the State of Missouri. Temporary moves

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