There is general agreement among the bench and bar that parents should not call their children as witnesses in their divorce of post-decree modification cases. Putting any child on the stand is a traumatic experience and one that usually makes them pick sides. On the other hand, while there are a lot of ways a child’s views can be made known to a court, such as a custody evaluation, sometimes with older children or in very unique ... Read More
02
Jul2020
30
Jun2020
Almost every seasoned divorce attorney has been blindsided in court from some significant evidence (documents or testimony) that has a detrimental impact on his or her client’s case. The conventional thinking may be my spouse does not know about it or would not dare to raise it in our divorce trial. Think again. However, that is almost always not the case. Evidence of some pattern of bad behavior or deviant conduct to illegal activity, if relevant, can change the court’s direction in its award of ... Read More
24
Jun2020
In Indiana, assets acquired by either party before the marriage and brought into the marriage, acquired during the marriage and up to the date of filing, are considered marital property subject to the court’s division. Furthermore, the presumption for a just and equitable division is a 50/50 division, although the trial court has vast discretion to deviate for any fair reason.1 Where worker’s comp awards of personal injury settlements (particularly structured settlements) ... Read More
16
Jun2020
Anyone who has watched a courtroom drama or live court TV has probably seen an attorney shout “objection!” while an individual is testifying. However, what is it that is being objected to? Why is this important? At Ciyou & Dixon, P.C., we believe understanding objections made during trial will make you a more informed legal consumer and maximize the quality of your trial testimony. In this blog, we look at four common objections made during testimony in a divorce matter.
Hearsay. “Objection! Hearsay.” This ... Read More
05
Jun2020
Yes. No. Maybe.
In Indiana, child custody is always modifiable, if modification is in the child’s best interests and there is a substantial change in one (1) or more factors1 the court can consider under the initial custody determination statute, namely (1) the age and sex of the child; (2) the wishes of the child’s parent or parents; (3) the wishes of the child, with more consideration given to the child’s wishes if the child is at least fourteen (14) ... Read More
04
Jun2020
Most seasoned family law attorneys have consulted with divorced parties who learn after the divorce, that a spouse did not disclose assets. These potential clients want to know what, if any remedy, they have in pursuing their share of that asset. The threshold issue is to determine from a cost-benefit analysis if the fight is worth your percentage of the non-disclosed asset. If the account or asset is only worth a few hundred or thousand dollars, ... Read More
04
Jun2020
The prospect of a divorce for a stay-at-home parent can be overwhelming, raising questions like, “How do I get a job because I have lost my skills being out of the workforce for so long?” to “If I obtain physical custody of the children, can I remain in the marital home?” Clearly, divorce will be life-changing for these parents. This blog covers protections and rights of stay-at-home parents in divorce cases.
First, and perhaps frightening for the stay-at-home parent, is that there is a presumption ... Read More
29
May2020
In a civil trial with many issues, such as divorce which may have child support, custody, and property issues decided, a losing party may want to challenge every issue, such as a minimal difference or error in weekly child support to be paid. While there is no express appellate rule prohibiting or limiting the number of issues a party may raise on appeal, raising more than three or four issues on appeal is normally not prudent. This blog explores why limiting the number of issues ... Read More
28
May2020
When most couples marry, they slowly and unwittingly merge their financial, business, and personal lives together. They may have a car loan on a car purchased for the husband, but as time goes on, it makes sense for the wife to drive it, such as if one car dies and the husband gets a company car. A joint account may be equally contributed to or each party’s paycheck goes into it and is used to pay ... Read More
28
May2020
In most civil litigation, when you are sued, such as in a divorce, which is technically a complaint, you have to provide an answer to avoid a default judgment and losing.1 However, in divorce, there is no requirement to provide a cross-petition (or answer in a technical sense).2 Yet in a few instances, it may make sense to cross-petition. This blog addresses cross-petitions and their uses and some common myths surrounding cross-petitions.
Factual mistakes: Perhaps the most common reason to file a cross-petition is that ... Read More