Family Law Flashcards
Family Law Acronyms: UMDA
UPAA
UIFSA
PKPA
UCCJEA
UMDA- Uniform Marriage and Divorce
UPAA- Uniform Premarital Agreement Act
PKPA: Parental Kidnappying Prevention Act
UCCJEA- Uniform Child Custody Juridiction and Enforcement Act
Common Law Marriage
requires the spouses:
- live together for a specified amount of time
- be legally able to marry
- have a present agreement that they are married; AND
- hold themselves out to be married.,
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Premarital Agreements: Enforceability
Enforceable under UPAA if:
- in writing and signed by both parties
not enforceable if:
- involuntary (fraud, duress or coercion)
- unconscionable AND before execution, spouse was not provided fair disclosure of property/ financial obligations; did not waive disclosure in writing; or did not have knowledge of such information.
Premarital Agmt: Child Custody
not binding on a court and any provision that adversely affects a child’s right to support is unenforceable.
if an agmt is not in childs best interest, court may order parent to pay an amount reasonable or necessary for the child’s support.
Premarital Agmt: Spousal Support
UPAA permits it but is not enforceable if it makes the spouse leigible for public support (welfare)
Jurisdiction in marital/Divorce Actions
- ex parte divorce: may be maintained w/o pj over the absentee spouse only if plaintiff spouse is domicilary of the rendering state. (most states have a residency requirement)
- child custody: must have pj over defendant spouse
- divisible divorce: on spouse can terminate marriage in one proceeding and reserve other issues for later.
Jurisdiction in Child Custody Matter
court must have smj to issue or modify child custody order.
UCCJEA: Home State Jurisdiction for Child Custoy matter
court may decide child custody only if it has:
- child’s home state; or
- where child livid with a parent for 6+ months immediately before action waws filed; child absent from state and parent or acting parent is still present in the state.
UCCJEA: Significant Connection Jurisdiction
a court may decide child custody if it has:
- no home state
- child and at least one parent hav e a significant connection to the state AND
- sinstantial evidence in the state exists.
UCCJEA: More Appropriate Forum Jurisdiction
court may decide child custody if all other courts decline to exercise jurisdiction because this particule court is a more appropriate forum.
UCCJEA: Emergency Jurisdiction
child physically present in the state AND abandoned or its an emergency to protect the child.
UCCJEA: No other state Jurisdiction
when no other state has jurisdiction.
PKPA Jurisdictions
the same jurisdictional definition as UCCJEA.
Home State, Signficant Connections, More Appropriate Forum, Emergency Jurisdiction, Emergency Jurisdiction, or No other State Jurisdiction.
Adoption Matter Jurisdictions
Are the same as UCCJEA
Home State, Signficant Connection, More Appropriate Forum, Emergency Jurisdiction, or No Other State Jurisdiction
Division of Approach: Equitable Division
marital assets are divided among the spouses by equitable distribution