Family Law

Question 1

What are the instances in which a marriage license will not be issued?

Answer 1

1. One of the parties is married to someone else
2. The parties are too closely related
3. The marriage is a sham
4. The parties are incapable of understanding the nature of the act

Note: Most jurisdictions refuse to issue a license when one or both parties is under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the license is sought

Question 2

What evidences the intent to enter into a common-law marriage?

Answer 2

Words in the present tense are preferred, but a court may accept cohabitation or reputation as evidence. Cohabitation alone is insufficient and words of intent to marry in the future do not reflect a present intent to be married.

Question 3

How does a party modify a property division award?

Answer 3

A property division award is not modifiable because it is based on the parties’ assets at the time of divorce. Changes in the parties’ circumstances after divorce are not be considered once the award has been entered.

Question 4

How can a valid marriage be terminated?

Answer 4

Annulment, divorce, or death

Question 5

Consent is a defense to which two grounds for divorce?

Answer 5

Consent is a defense to desertion or adultery.

Question 6

What are the grounds for a voidable marriage?

Answer 6

1) Age
2) Impotence
3) Intoxication
4) Fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, or force
5) Lack of intent

Question 7

What are the defenses to a claim that the marriage is voidable?

Answer 7

Equitable defenses of:
1) Unclean hands
2) Laches
3) Estoppel

Question 8

What are the requirements for common-law marriages?

Answer 8

1. Agree they are married
2. Cohabit as married
3. Hold themselves out in public as married

Question 9

What is marital property and what are the six common exceptions to marital property?

Answer 9

In most states, all property acquired during the marriage is marital property.

Exceptions:
1) Property acquired before the marriage
2) Property excluded by a valid agreement between the parties
3) Property acquired by gift or inheritance
4) Property a party has sold, granted, or conveyed in good faith and for value prior to final separation
5) Property to the extent it has been mortgaged or otherwise encumbered in good faith and for value prior to separation
6) An award or settlement payment received for any cause of action or claim that accrued prior to marriage

Question 10

What type of alimony is meant to enhance and improve the earning capacity of the economically dependent spouse?

Answer 10

Rehabilitative alimony, which is awarded for a limited period of time

Question 11

What are the fault grounds for divorce?

Answer 11

1) Adultery
2) Cruelty
3) Desertion
4) Habitual drunkenness
5) Bigamy
6) Imprisonment
7) Indignity
8) Institutionalization

Question 12

Which method of property division considers the marriage a partnership and typically requires an equal division of marital property?

Answer 12

Community property

Question 13

How does marital fault play into a property division award?

Answer 13

In most states, the fact that a divorce is granted on a fault ground is not a factor. However, dissipation of marital property may be considered.

Question 14

Which defense to divorce accounts for a spouse forgiving the marital misconduct?

Answer 14

Condonation is when a spouse forgives marital misconduct. There must be knowledge of the misconduct, and the party must resume relations with the guilty party.

Question 15

What are the requirements for a marriage license?

Answer 15

1. Meet the minimum age restrictions
2. Fulfill the waiting period
3. Complete premarital medical testing (only in some states)
4. Marry before the expiration date

Question 16

What are the grounds for a void marriage?

Answer 16

Bigamy, incest, and mental incapacity

Question 17

What action does not sever marital ties but allows the court to determine spousal support and property division?

Answer 17

A limited divorce does not sever the marital ties but permits the parties to live apart. The court will determine support and property division in limited divorce actions.

Note: Limited divorce is known in some states as “divorce from bed and board.”

Question 18

What is the only defense to a claim that the marriage is void?

Answer 18

The only way to defend against annulment of a void marriage is to deny the existence of the impediment that voided the marriage.

Note: Removing the impediment merely makes the marriage voidable; it will not necessarily prevent annulment.

Question 19

What is an interlocutory decree?

Answer 19

This represents the period of time between when a divorce is initially granted and when it is finalized. During this time, neither spouse may remarry.

Question 20

What issues may a mediator assist with in terminating a marriage?

Answer 20

A neutral, court-approved mediator assists both parties with spousal- and child-support issues, as well as custody and visitation rights.

Question 21

What are the factors courts typically consider when awarding spousal maintenance?

Answer 21

1) Financial resources
2) Standard of living
3) Time for spouse to find employment or training
4) Length of the marriage
5) Contributions to the marriage
6) Age and health of the parties
7) Marital misconduct

Question 22

How is marital misconduct considered in determining spousal support?

Answer 22

Marital misconduct may be considered in many states when determining spousal support. The weight depends on the jurisdiction, with some jurisdictions considering it merely a factor and others giving it preclusive effect.

Question 23

What are the typical types of spousal support?

Answer 23

1) Lump sum
2) Permanent
3) Limited duration
4) Rehabilitative
5) Reimbursement
6) Palimony (available in only a few states)

Question 24

What kind of support is available to an unmarried cohabitant in a minority of jurisdictions?

Answer 24

Palimony. This is only available when the parties have lived together in a stable, long-term relationship.

Question 25

What is the scope and purpose of permanent alimony?

Answer 25

Permanent alimony is an award for the remainder of the dependent spouse’s life, unless certain circumstances occur. The purpose is to compensate the dependent spouse for either the lost earning capacity or benefit conferred to the other spouse during marriage. This is typically awarded only when the marriage was one of long duration.

Question 26

Under what conditions can spousal support be modified?

Answer 26

Generally, spousal support is modifiable even when deemed permanent. The party seeking modification generally has the burden of establishing a significant and continuing change in circumstances in the needs of the dependent spouse or financial abilities of the obligor.

Question 27

What is the effect of cohabitation on spousal support?

Answer 27

If the receiving spouse cohabits with someone who is not family, then spousal support may be modified if the cohabitation results in a reduced need.

Question 28

When does the obligation to pay child support end?

Answer 28

In all jurisdictions, both parents, regardless of marital status, are required to support their minor children until the child reaches the age of majority or is emancipated. Some jurisdictions continue the obligation through college. Additionally, it can be continued indefinitely for a child incapable of self-support due to a disability.

In most jurisdictions, the obligation may also terminate if the child marries, parental rights are terminated, the child commences active duty military service, or the parent or child dies.

Question 29

Under the doctrine of equitable estoppel, a husband may be required to pay support for his wife’s child even when he is not the biological father when which requirements are met?

Answer 29

1. There is a representation by the husband that he would provide for the child;
2. The wife relied on his representation; and
3. The wife suffered an economic detriment as a result of the reliance

Question 30

What Act provides a court with personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state parent to establish or enforce child support or to determine parentage?

Answer 30

The Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA), which has been adopted by every state.

Question 31

What evidence may be used to determine paternity?

Answer 31

1. Blood tests
2. Prior statements regarding paternity by deceased family members
3. Medical testimony on the probability or improbability of conception
4. The defendant’s acknowledgment of paternity
5. In some states, the resemblance of the child to the defendant

Question 32

What is the amount of child support typically based on?

Answer 32

Awards are typically based on income from any source and include wages, interest and dividends, rental income, and other income received, including retirement benefits, capital gains, and Social Security income.

Question 33

What is the name of the agreement made between spouses who are planning for divorce, and what happens to this agreement upon divorce?

Answer 33

Separation agreements are made between spouses planning for divorce. They are generally merged into the final judgment for divorce, as long as they are based on full and fair disclosure.

Question 34

What are the requirements for a marital agreement to be enforceable?

Answer 34

1. Full disclosure
2. Fair and reasonable
3. Voluntary
4. In writing
5. Signed by the party to be charged

Question 35

When may a court deviate from the child support guideline, and how?

Answer 35

Deviations are permitted as the circumstances warrant. The court must set forth specific findings explaining and supporting the deviation, including the amount that would have been awarded under the guidelines.

Question 36

When may a child support order be modified?

Answer 36

Generally, modifications are permissible when there is a substantial change in circumstances regarding the child’s needs or the parents’ financial situation, and that change is expected to be continuing, rather than temporary. Actual statutory language varies by jurisdiction.

The respective obligations of child support are also adjusted as the possession of a child changes between parents.

Question 37

What is the most important requirement for a marital contract?

Answer 37

Full disclosure. Absent full disclosure, a court will generally refuse to enforce it.

The current trend is for courts to enforce marital agreements that may not be fair as long as there has been full disclosure.

Question 38

When may a child become emancipated?

Answer 38

To be emancipated, a minor child must be self-supporting and beyond the sphere of influence of his parents or independent of parental control.

Question 39

Who has jurisdiction to modify a child support order?

Answer 39

A state court with continuing jurisdiction may modify an existing order. Another state court may not modify an order rendered by a court of continuing jurisdiction in another state unless the parties, including the child, no longer reside in that state or the parties expressly agree to permit another state to exercise jurisdiction.

Question 40

What is the most important standard in determining child custody?

Answer 40

The best interests and welfare of the child

Question 41

How are child support and spousal support orders enforced?

Answer 41

Support orders are typically enforced through civil contempt, income withholding, or withholding of tax refunds.

Question 42

What custody arrangement is the outcome in a majority of child custody cases and even the statutory presumption in many jurisdictions?

Answer 42

Joint physical custody is preferred, but it does not necessarily require a 50-50 time-sharing arrangement.

Question 43

What is the standard courts apply when determining whether to modify a child custody order?

Answer 43

The majority of jurisdictions apply a change-in-circumstances standard, requiring some substantial and unforeseen change since the issuance of the prior order. Some jurisdictions have also applied time barriers before an application for modification can be filed absent consent or endangerment. The purpose of these considerations is to promote stability in the child’s life.

Question 44

What Act applies to interstate custody disputes, including visitation rights, as well as parental kidnapping cases?

Answer 44

The Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA)

Question 45

How are child-custody and visitation orders enforced?

Answer 45

A party seeking enforcement can request assistance through the courts. The court can impose a variety of sanctions, including compensatory visitation, attorney’s fees, court costs, fines, and jail time. Tort damages may also be awarded to a parent for the period of time that the child is wrongfully out of the parent’s custody.

Question 46

While property division clauses are enforceable in a premarital agreement, what clauses are generally unenforceable?

Answer 46

Clauses relating to child custody and support in a premarital agreement are unenforceable.

Question 47

Regarding premarital agreements, what choice-of-law approach do most states use in deciding which state’s law will govern enforcement?

Answer 47

The significant relationship test. Most states apply the law of the state with the most significant relationship to the agreement and the subsequent marriage.

Some states apply the law of the state where the agreement was executed.

Question 48

When does a court’s exclusive-continuing jurisdiction end?

Answer 48

A court that makes the initial ruling in a custody case has exclusive continuing jurisdiction over the matter until:
1. The parties no longer reside in the state, or
2. The child no longer has a significant connection to the state

Question 49

What is the rule for the special weight given to a fit parent’s decision regarding their children?

Answer 49

A fit parent has a fundamental right to the care, custody, and control of his children. State courts must give special weight to a fit parent’s decision to deny nonparent visitation.

Question 50

Why might a court set aside a valid agreement that has been voluntarily executed and meets the test for reasonableness, fairness, and full disclosure?

Answer 50

If its result winds up leaving one spouse woefully impoverished to the extent that he or she becomes dependent on the state

Question 51

Under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), what is the test to determine if a court has home-state jurisdiction?

Answer 51

A court has subject-matter jurisdiction to preside over custody hearings if the state:
1. Is the child’s home state (the state in which the child has lived for at least 6 consecutive months immediately prior to hearing, or since birth if the child is less than 6 months), OR
2. Was the child’s home state in the past 6 months, and the child is absent from the state, but one of the parents/guardians continues to live in the state.

Question 52

How may a court provide for equitable distribution of property between unmarried cohabitants when there is no express contract between the parties?

Answer 52

A court will generally provide equitable distribution based on a resulting trust, constructive trust, or quantum meruit theory to avoid unjust enrichment.

Question 53

When may an unwed father be prevented from objecting to an adoption?

Answer 53

The right to object may be denied if the father does not demonstrate commitment to the responsibilities of parenthood. The right to object cannot be denied if such a commitment has been made.

Question 54

Under the UPAA, what must someone prove in order to invalidate a marital agreement?

Answer 54

1. Involuntariness; or
2. The agreement was unconscionable when executed, the party did not receive fair and reasonable disclosure, and the party did not have adequate knowledge of the other’s assets and obligations

Question 55

What is the purpose of adoption registries?

Answer 55

Some jurisdictions have created adoption registries for the purpose of determining the identity and location of putative fathers and providing notice in the event of an adoption. A putative father’s failure to register within the prescribed period of time constitutes a waiver of his right to notice of the adoption and irrevocably implies his consent to the adoption.