Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 01/01/2010 | www.mshale.com
There has been a significant increase in the amount of domestic violence and domestic related incidents of harassment. Victims of violence are best advised to call the police right away or, in the alternative, seek help from several of the domestic abuse hotlines or county support agencies.
Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 02/09/2010 www.mshale.com
Harassment Orders “Harassment” means acts, words or gestures that the harasser uses that get in the way of someone’s safety, security, or privacy. This can be threatening to hurt the individual or their property, stalking or following them, or repeatedly mailing or delivering objects to them.
Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 03/31/2010 | www.mshale.com
“Child Support” is a culmination of a number of things: A child’s food; housing; clothing and daily care; these are also known as Basic Support.
Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 04/19/2010 | www.mshale.com
What is the Service of Process? What do I serve? You have just completed your family case summons and petition. You have painstakingly reviewed your affidavits and assets and have made sure you’ve disclosed all you need to and clarified what you are requesting from the court. You show up at court to file your documents and pay the filing fees and the first question the clerk asks is: “Where is the affidavit of service?” What? What affidavit?
Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 07/23/2010 | www.mshale.com
What is Early Neutral Evaluation in the Family Law Context? Early Neutral Evaluation, or ENE as it’s commonly called, is a relatively new concept in MN family law. Early Neutral Evaluation is a forum in which the parties and their attorneys present the key issues of their dispute to a neutral evaluator in the presence of the parties. ENE occurs after the case is filed in court but before formal discovery of evidence. The selected Neutral or Neutrals give an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses in each side’s case before proceeding in family court.
Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 03/13/2012 | www.mshale.com
Orders for Protection, Requesting a Hearing and What You Need to Know Orders for Protection are generally orders to protect people who are victims of domestic abuse or are at risk of being further victimized. Domestic abuse is defined as any of the following conducts between family or household members: actual physical harm, bodily injury, assault, fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury or assault, terroristic threats, criminal sexual conduct, or interference with an emergency call.
Published by Attorney Obi E. Chukwu | Published 05/20/2011 | www.mshale.com
What is Visitation or Parenting Time and Who is Entitled to it? Visitation rights between a noncustodial parent and a child is essential to the continuance of a parent-child relationship. A noncustodial parent is the parent who does not have either legal or physical custody of the child or both. The parent who has physical custody of the child is the parent with whom the child is living on a day to day basis. The court must grant the noncustodial parent visitation rights to enable that parent to maintain a child to parent relationship that is in the best interests of the child. In year 2000, Minnesota law changed what was previously referred to as “visitation” or “visitation rights” to “parenting time”.
Third-party custody is when a third person is given custody of the child/children. Third-party custody typically occurs when the biological parents do not want custody of the child/children or the biological parents are incapable of caring for the child/children.