Child Support

Tennessee Judge Says Woman Has The Rights of a Husband

Published on: May 24, 2017 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What are my custody rights if the other parent moves?”

Though it’s gone smoothly in some places, other courts in more conservative states have had a bumpy road adapting to changed legal realities since the landmark same-sex marriage case decided by the Supreme Court in 2015. A good example of this is in Tennessee, where one same-sex couple has spent months and months fighting to get a divorce, something that has proven harder than many expected.

Insurance Company Offers Divorce Coverage

Published on: May 17, 2017 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “How is the amount of child support decided in North Carolina?”

Most people know that it’s important to have health insurance. Same thing with car insurance or life insurance or homeowner’s insurance or renter’s insurance. We rely on insurance, in all its many forms, to protect us when things go badly and we encounter some financial setbacks that we aren’t able to cover on our own. It’s based on this premise that an insurance company recently announced it would begin offering divorce insurance, adding to the long list of insurance that a person could consider paying for.

Until Death Do You Part

Published on: December 22, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What children’s expenses are covered by child support?”

When you make the decision to divorce, you might understandably believe that what once was a lifetime connection to your former spouse gets severed. Though it’s true the nature of your relationship will change in many ways, some official and legal, some not so much, it doesn’t always mean that you’re able to neatly part ways. In some cases, when a former spouse dies you might find yourself embroiled in issues you thought were safely in the past.

Illinois Implements New Rules To Simplify Divorce Process

Published on: December 6, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “Do I need an attorney to get a Divorce in North Carolina?”

Anyone with friends or family who have been through the process have likely heard how difficult divorce can be. Even putting aside the emotional toll (a hard feat to accomplish), the costs, time, uncertainty and bureaucratic difficulties of divorce can be overwhelming, especially to those with limited financial resources. Legislators in Illinois realized this and made a big effort to roll out a host of changes to the state’s divorce process. These new rules aim to simplify and streamline divorce and custody proceedings as well as standardize the approach taken to awarding spousal maintenance (also known as alimony) and child support.

Can I Sue My Parent for Decades-Old Unpaid Child Support?

Published on: October 18, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What children’s expenses are covered by child support?”

MarketWatch shared a reader query this week from a man named Marc who wanted to know if he could sue his “deadbeat dad” for the decades of unpaid child support his father owed him and his mother. Marc’s father, from whom he has been estranged for the last 15 years, owes child support debt dating all the way back to 1956.

Who pays for extracurricular activities in a divorce?

Published on: September 1, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “How much does it cost to get divorced, and how does the billing process work?”

Some of the best Olympians on the world stage are children of divorced parents. Michael Phelps, Ryan Locthe, Gabby Douglas, you name ‘em. In each case, their parents had to figure out not only how to navigate the challenges of co-parenting an Olympic athlete, but how to divide up the costs and burdens of Olympic training. Given that Olympic training, with the coaches, the equipment, the travel, can cost tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, this can be a monumental undertaking. Thankfully, most divorced couples don’t have to worry about paying to get their kids into the Olympics. On a less extreme level, couples do have to consider how to tackle extracurricular expenses. To learn more about how to go about dividing up these extracurricular costs, keep reading.

Paternity in North Carolina

Published on: July 19, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What rules are there for Father’s Right in NC?”

When it comes to paternity, the law in North Carolina has been designed to favor married couples. Married couples benefit because when a child is born to a married couple, the husband and wife are automatically viewed as being legal parents of the child. This can be a great thing in that it immediately bestows important rights and responsibilities on the couple, saving the hassle of having to establish paternity. The problem is that this can work against some couples, specifically, those where the child born during the marriage is not the biological child of the husband. In these cases, the father will have to fight a rather long battle to have the presumption of paternity reversed. To learn more about paternity and how it can prove problematic in certain custody/child support cases, keep reading.

Trying to Pay Child Support in Pizza Not a Crime, Says Italian Court

Published on: May 31, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What children’s expenses are not covered by child support?”

When he divorced his ex-wife Nicoletta Zuin in 2002, Nicola Toso agreed to pay child support for their daughter, who was then six (6) years old. He paid 300 euros, about $335, a month without an issue for years.

Private School Tuition CAN Be Included in Child Support Order If You’re Wealthy Enough

Published on: May 12, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Board Certified Family Law Specialist Matt Arnold answers the question: “What children’s expenses are covered by child support?”

In a case that is the first of its kind for our courts, the North Carolina Court of Appeals just ruled that a child support order can include private school tuition for families whose gross income exceeds the state’s Child Support Guidelines.

Does Reconciliation After Divorce Undo Settlement Agreement?

Published on: January 12, 2016 | On behalf of Arnold & Smith, PLLC

Charlotte Divorce Attorney Matt Arnold of Arnold & Smith, PLLC answers the question: “What does a “No-Fault’ divorce mean in NC?”

Most people think that once a divorce is over, it’s over. After all, you’ve spent substantial time and money trying to undo your ties to another person, why would you continue to have contact once you’re finally free? Sometimes though, things don’t go so smoothly, life’s messy after all, and lengthy relationships can be hard to leave behind. The question becomes, once you start to muddy the water, getting back in touch with an ex after the divorce is already signed and sealed, does that reconciliation undo the terms of the divorce or will the settlement agreement remain in effect? To find out more, keep reading.