Superior Court must consider parties’ post-divorce agreement to cut spousal maintenance and husband’s equitable defenses to nonpayment. After terms of agreement were satisfied, the wife petitioned to enforce maintenance awarded in the consent decree, seeking arrearages with interest. Spousal support was made non-modifiable by consent decree. Husband had complied with and relied upon the post-decree […]

When a mature couple files for divorce their Arizona marital home is often mortgage-free, a valuable asset that must be divided. Along with deciding which spouse shall remain in the home (assuming the property is not sold as part of the divorce and the proceeds divided), an important consideration is the availability of a reverse […]

Domestic Violence Resources in Arizona In 2013, the Phoenix Police Department reported receiving 50,000 domestic violence calls. However, an estimated additional 40,000 incidents of domestic violence go unreported each year. Nationally, our state ranks fourth for the rate of female domestic violence homicides. Source: Sojourner Center.org which also assists victims of domestic violence in Arizona. […]

There are many issues unique to military divorce cases that rely on you being familiar with your civilian spouse divorce rights. Division of pensions and military retirement funds, long-distance parenting plans when a party is stationed overseas, to name only two. By making use of the information that we have for you on our website, […]

In 2015, the Arizona court entered an order of protection preventing contact and threats or acts of domestic violence by defendant-parent against the custodial parent. Before that order expired, the victim petitioned for a 2016 ex parte order of protection. Upon hearing the petition, defendant was found to have violated the 2015 order by act […]

Managing Stress in Your Divorce or Family Law Case Among the most stressful life experiences, divorce and family law cases can be profoundly emotional. They represent a turbulent period for both spouses and can affect the children for years to come. The divorce, legal separation, or child custody dispute may challenge your resolve initially. But […]

In this special action, the trial court entered temporary child custody orders granting grandparents sole legal decision-making and parenting time of the mother’s five minor children following ex-parte petition and hearing. Mother’s fitness as a parent was challenged and the trial court did not err in granting temporary third-party custody to the grandparents. Gia Chapman […]

We have three changes in Arizona family law to report. Two bills were recently signed into law and the Arizona Child Support Guidelines have been revised. Take a look at what’s new half-way into 2018. New Spousal Maintenance Eligibility Threshold Arizona’s spousal maintenance factors are set forth in ARS § 25-319. For about two decades, […]

Child support obligee can contest obligor’s statement of zero child support arrears owed under Arizona Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (AUIFSA) despite failure to file her hearing request within 20 days after receiving notice of obligor’s registration in Arizona of an out-of-state child support order. Tiffany G. Taylor v. Thomas Pandola The Arizona Supreme Court […]

Biological father filed paternity establishment petition in California where both parents resided. His parental rights were terminated on statutory ground he failed to file notice of claim of paternity with Arizona putative fathers registry. Mother’s fraud and adoption agency misrepresentations were punished by award of sanctions. No due process violation with service by publication because […]