Support payments are not dischargeable in bankruptcy. But what about penalties imposed for failure to pay support? More »

October was Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and there has been much discussion about DV. Men and their supporters are drawing attention to the fact that many articles and blog posts depict men as the perpetrators and women as the victims. In reality, men also can be victims of domestic violence. Sometimes women are perpetrators, and not the victims, of domestic violence. More »

In an October news feature, Time.com stated: “Unbelievable fact about Detroit: There is one domestic-abuse shelter in the city. And it only has 65 beds available. Totally believable fact: The city police department’s Domestic Violence Unit has reported a 7 percent increase in cases this year.” More »

Glenn Sacks’ blog, Fathers & Families, recently featured an article authored by Robert Franklin, Esq. that caught my eye. He wrote about a biological father who opposed the adoption of his child, but the Texas court named prospective adoptive parents as “managing conservators” (in Michigan’s parlance, the primary physical custodial parents). More »

Whenever the prosecuting attorney files to establish support on behalf of a child born to an unmarried mother, and medicaid has paid the expenses of the birth and confinement, the court will order that those costs should be reimbursed. More »

Another case has been decided by the Michigan Court of Appeals dealing with a challenge to a life insurance policy payout to the divorced spouse because the former spouse forgot to change his beneficiary after the divorce. More »

While researching the issue of texting while driving, I saw this public service announcement created in the UK. Believing this is something some parents might find educational (to say the least), I decided to include it in my blog. Imagine my surprise when I was not allowed to upload until I confirmed I am at least 18. Watch it and you’ll see why. Then you decide. More »

According to an early September Associated Press story, Richard  “Ricky” Chekevdia, who turned 7 on Sept. 14, was in good spirits and healthy after being found by investigators who searched a two-story rural home in Illinois owned by his grandmother. Ricky had been missing for nearly two years. More »

“Mom, can I have a sip of your water?” This is a pretty easy question when you’re talking to your young child, right? WRONG! Brigid Schulte, Washington Post staff writer, wrote recently about how insidious the swine flu is, how susceptible to exposure and potential infection our children are — and how we have to worry about such simple things as it’s a hot day, your child is thirsty and wants a sip of your water. More »

Hmm let’s have a little music with this post . . . Paul Carrack singing “Don’t Shed any tears for me” . . . seems like a good accompaniment to this little heart breaker question posed yesterday about how to end a bad relationship. “Cab fare to nowhere is what you are . . . all that I saw in you I now see through . . . ” More »