A recent case from another state (North Carolina) shines a national spotlight on a very important child custody issue that also impacts families here in New Jersey: the limited rights available to an unmarried biological father whose paternity hasn't been formally established.
Child support woes? New Jersey has an app for that.
As any parent in New Jersey who is trying to collect delinquent child support can tell you, it's not easy to take time off work to visit or call the Child Support Enforcement Division, the agency which manages enforcement efforts, just to find out the status of payments due to that parent. This agency, despite its best efforts, is overwhelmed with tens of thousands of cases, so getting an employee to provide updated information about the status of a case is challenging, on a good day. Now, a more efficient process has been designed to assist those who need to better track the status of money owed for child support.
Can a parent refuse child support for a college education?
In a recent public battle between a teenager and her parents in New Jersey, the issue of whether a parent is obligated to pay for their child's college education was put to the test. In that case, because the child's parents were not divorced, the answer was "no." However, the answer is not so clear when divorced parents have signed an agreement agreeing to pay child support by contributing to a college education.
Could electronic "Bitcoins" shield assets in a divorce?
An urban legend says that Native Americans traded the island of Manhattan for a mere $20 worth of beads and trinkets. The truth is very different, but one thing is true: the colonial settlers definitely got the better end of that deal. On a smaller scale, a divorce can turn out in a similar way, with one party getting the short end of the proverbial stick. This is why it is important that a fair property division settlement be reached prior to the divorce being finalized.
