Locating Wisconsin divorce assets is not usually as difficult as you may have heard. Both spouses must make a full financial disclosure. All assets, debts, income, and expense must be disclosed on the designated form. These statements often form the basis for a judge’s decision on support and property division. Therefore, they must be completed carefully. It is […]
The Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently clarified that, in a Wisconsin divorce judgment, life insurance beneficiary designations end once the children reach adulthood. Parents after divorce often agree to maintain life insurance for their children, partly to cover lost child support if one parent dies. In Brandt v Vazquez, http://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=110388, the Court ruled that because the […]
The Wisconsin maintenance (alimony) law was recently changed. 2013 WI Act 209 states that maintenance ends upon the recipient’s remarriage. The law also requires the recipient to notify the court and the payer of the remarriage. The law can be found at https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2013/related/acts/209. This law seems common sense, but previously, the payee was not required […]
There is no law requiring either spouse to pay certain expenses after a Wisconsin divorce is filed. Spouses cannot sell or give away property without approval. But without a court order, simply filing for divorce does not allocate payment of bills. Often, spouses agree on who will pay bills. If you cannot agree, however, you must request a temporary order from […]
The success of a Wisconsin family court appeal depends on the evidence submitted at the trial. An appeal is not a “do-over.” There is no new testimony or evidence. The only information available to the appeals court is what was submitted at the trial. The evidence and testimony is known as the “record.” Each party files a brief, based on the record. The appeals court […]
Parents often confuse the concepts of Wisconsin legal custody with physical placement. In Wisconsin, however, these two terms have very different meanings. “Legal custody” allows a parent to make major decisions for a child, such as heath care, school and religious decisions. An award of custody can be joint, sole, and impasse-breaking authority. In sole custody, only one parent […]
The standard for Wisconsin grandparent visitation has recently been clarified in the case of Paternity of E.M.B. (available at http://www.wisbar.org/res/capp/2011/2009ap000488.htm). The Court of Appeals ruled that grandparents must overcome the parent’s Constitutional right to care for a child. The child’s parent is presumed competent to know what is best for her child. The parent’s decision whether to allow contact between the child and […]
Needless to say, none of these occurred in Wisconsin. Out of curiosity, it would be fascinating to know the amount of the attorneys’ fees. http://www.cnbc.com/id/34316968 Perhaps this goes into the category of “It could be worse.”
In a Wisconsin divorce, the judge begins with the presumption that each spouse receives one-half of marital assets. However, judge also considers 13 factors that can shift the final property division in favor of one spouse. Common factors are the length of the marriage, the spouses’ earning ability (accounting for time spent out of the workforce to care for children), property owned […]
A Wisconsin child custody case took an interesting turn when the father requested that the child’s care be assumed by the State because neither parent could properly care for him. In Interest of Luke S. http://www.wicourts.gov/ca/opinion/DisplayDocument.pdf?content=pdf&seqNo=108947, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled that the State could not provide protective services for the child that the […]
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