| Self-emancipation of Minors |
|
| A minor may obtain a court order declaring him or her to be self-emancipated. A self-emancipated minor has most of the legal rights and duties of an adult. The parents of a self-emancipated minor have no further duty to support the minor.
More... |
|
|
| Mortgage Issues and Divorce |
|
| If a divorce decree awards one party the marital home, that party is typically required to pay the mortgage, unless other stipulations were made during the divorce proceedings. Most often the mortgage is a joint mortgage and therefore constitutes a joint debt. However, if one party that is awarded possession of the marital home and is ordered to pay the mortgage, that party theoretically becomes responsible for the entire mortgage. More... |
|
|
| Tax Considerations Relating to Child Support |
|
| For federal income tax purposes, payments of child support are not tax-deductible by the parent who makes the payments but child support is tax-free to the recipient. In order to qualify as child support, the amounts an ex-spouse receives must be designated as child support in the divorce or separation agreement. None of a payment that is lumped together as either family support or alimony is considered child support for tax purposes. In addition, family support or alimony is taxable to the recipient. More... |
|
|
| Invalid Provisions In a Premarital Agreement |
|
| Premarital agreements are governed by state law. Therefore, the law of the state in which the spouses reside determines what may and may not be included in a premarital agreement. While the law varies by state, there are a few generally applicable rules regarding what spouses may not agree to in a premarital agreement. More... |
|
|
| Valuation of Noneconomic Contributions |
|
| The economic partnership concept that underlies equitable distribution recognizes the noneconomic contributions of a spouse to the acquisition of marital property. Equitable distribution recognizes that the homemaker's noneconomic contributions can play a substantial role in the acquisition of property during marriage and entitle the homemaker to share in the fruits of the marital partnership when it ends. More... |
|
|