| Actions Between Parent and Child Based upon Negligence |
| Generally, parents and children have the right to sue each other for most personal injuries that are caused by negligence. This right is determined by the status of the parental immunity doctrine in the particular jurisdiction where an actions is brought. More... |
| Alimony and Spousal Support |
| Alimony, spousal support, or maintenance is the payment of support from one party to another in order to keep the receiving party in the lifestyle that they were accustomed to during the course of their marriage.More... |
| Right of Putative Father to Visitation |
| A "putative father" is a man who may be a child's father, but who was not married to the child's mother before the child was born and has not established the fact that he is the father in a court proceeding. When the child's natural parents have never married and the putative father is seeking visitation with his child, he must first prove his paternity before a court will entertain his petition for visitation. More... |
| Adoption Under the Indian Child Welfare Act |
| Whenever a proposed adoption involves a child who is of recognized Native American lineage, both federal and state laws govern the proceeding. The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) is applicable to any adoption of a Native American child. The ICWA is not an adoption code, but it contains jurisdictional, procedural, and substantive provisions that pertain to adoptions. Pursuant to the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, ICWA provisions supplement or parallel any compatible state adoption laws and preempt any inconsistent or contradictory ones. More... |
| Bankruptcy and Family Law |
| In recent years family law has expanded to take into account issues concerning grandchildren, stepchildren as well as agreements and obligations between unmarried cohabitants, including gay and lesbian couples. The bankruptcy laws have lagged behind in addressing these developments. As initially enacted in 1978, the Bankruptcy Code did not except from discharge orders for the support of children born out of wedlock, the rights of parties to annulled marriages remain unclear, and other family-related obligations are not even addressed in the Bankruptcy Code. More... |



