Parents of blended families in Michigan may come across a complicated issue when they divorce. They may wonder what their rights and responsibilities are when their soon-to-be ex-spouse has a child from another relationship with whom they have bonded. Are they legally responsible for caring for that child after the divorce? Legally, there is no law that says a stepparent…
Giving gifts to your children is likely one of the highlights of special occasions, such as Christmas. For children who have divorced parents, these gifts might turn out to be headaches. Michigan parents who are divorced and have children might like to take some points about gifting to the children into consideration before another gift is purchased. Children of divorced…
Potentially setting a precedent for hundreds of similar cases, the Michigan Court of Appeals recently decided that a woman may not sue her former same-sex partner for parental or visitation rights as she is not related to the child by blood. The couple was married in Canada before moving to Michigan, where they separated in 2009. The child was conceived…
A 24-year-old man wants to see the child of a girl he admitted to raping when he was 17, filing a petition seeking visitation rights because he is currently paying $110 in weekly child support to the child’s mother. She was 14 at the time of the rape. The case has raised the question of whether convicted rapists should be…
A child custody battle between parents inevitably has an effect on the child. Parents may disagree about the conditions set for visitation, child support and other issues that commonly come up during a child custody case. If one parent is unwilling or unable to abide by obligations set in a custody hearing, there may be legal consequences. A pattern of…