Imagine, you have been kicked and choked by your spouse, your life has been threatened, you summon the strength and courage to seek intervention, you call the police and, when you finally go to court to press charges, you hear a judge say "Every woman needs a good pounding now and then." According to a…
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Dissolving the Marriage: Divorce v. Annulment
Often times I receive a telephone call from a prospective client who states, “I don’t want a divorce. I want an annulment.” When I inquire as to why, I am typically greeted with silence because the distinction is not really understood. An annulment invalidates a marriage that the parties were not legally capable of entering.…
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Abusive Spouses Pay the Price For Their Conduct in Equitable Distribution
Last week, Justice Jacqueline Silbermann sent a strong message to abusive spouses; domestic violence will be considered in the distribution of marital assets. In DeSilva v. DeSilva, she ruled that a wife was entitled to all of the couple's marital property because her husband had verbally and physically abused her. This decision went even further than…
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