By: Dawn Padanyi, Esq. A Court of Common Pleas Judge in Philadelphia dismissed the claims of a plaintiff husband against the defendant pastor who had an affair with the Plaintiff’s ex-wife. The plaintiff Timothy Laidlaw found a civil suit against Christopher McCloskey and his former Church, Grace Point for breach of fiduciary duty, negligent and […]
By: Dawn Padanyi, Esquire I often get questions from parents who are separating and/or divorcing when they have minor children at home almost ready for college. Typically, the client will ask, “Does my ex have to help me pay for the kids’ college?” The short answer is no. Pennsylvania does not require that either parent […]
Supporting children is a responsibility of both parents. If there is a Court Order for child support then there is a minimum amount that a parent must pay. Typically, in Pennsylvania, child support is paid through PACSES, which stands for Pennsylvania Automated Child Support Enforcement System with a wage attachment if the payor is a w-2 […]
I’m often asked by individuals who are in the midst or fringe of a divorce, whether or not there soon-to-be EX is entitled to their inheritance in the divorce. To answer this question let me first give a summary of what is divided in a divorce and how. In a divorce the marital property will […]
By Megan Carpenter Divorce cannot just be emotionally taxing, it can also be financially taxing. There are many components to a divorce; in this article we will be focusing on one important facet: equitable distribution. First, Pennsylvania is an equitable distribution state. This means that the court is given the power, during a divorce or […]
By Megan Carpenter As cell phones have become omnipresent in our lives, many legal questions arise. We, as a society, are in constant use of our phones, from making phone calls, to shopping on the internet, to entertaining our children in the car. Cell phones are incredibly useful for a family to communicate and organize […]
Many mediators are lawyers, however a mediator is not acting as a lawyer when he/she is hired by parties to mediate their divorce. Many lawyers are mediators also, albeit a lawyer is not acting as mediator when he/she is hired to represent a client in the capacity of a lawyer. Many lawyers tell their clients […]
The Pennsylvania Senate voted to pass an Amendment to the Divorce code that would reduce the separation period for no-fault divorces from 2 years to 1 year. This would apply to those divorce filed after the effective date of the new law. The current waiting period for a no-fault divorce requires that parties live separate […]
This blog is a continuation of the various forms of support for one’s spouse or ex spouse under Pennsylvania law. In my last blog I explained what spousal support is in Pennsylvania. Today I will explain what alimony pendente Lite is under Pennsylvania law. Alimony pendente Lite (APL) (pronounced “aləˌmōnē penˌdentē ˈlīdē”) is support payments for one’s […]
By: Dawn Padanyi, Esquire If you are married and separated from your spouse you probably heard terms like spousal support, APL and Alimony thrown around. Spousal Support is “care, maintenance and financial assistance” for one’s spouse. (23 Pa.C.S. §3103). Under the law, married persons are liable for the support of each other according to their […]
