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Todd Begg, Benjamin Orsatti return in book published by PBI Press PITTSBURGH — Divorce and custody litigators at family law firm Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC reprise as authors in a second edition Pennsylvania Bar Institute Press custody resource book. Founding partner Todd M. Begg and associate Benjamin E. Orsatti both contributed to “Custody Law & Practice in Pennsylvania” for the release of the updated edition. The book contains […]

When one parent moves to a new neighborhood after having equal shared custody, the move might cause a longer commute time for a children traveling to and from school.  In a recent published decision, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania considered whether it was reasonable to shift primary custody to one parent in order to limit the child’s commuting time. In R.S. v. T.T., 2015 Pa. Super. 72 (April 10, 2015), […]

Grandparents who are raising their grandchildren in Pennsylvania, while the parents work, might wonder if they have legal custody rights under the law. A recent decision of the Pennsylvania Superior Court (non-precedential) may contain an answer to that question.  In J.L. F.L .and L.L. v. A.A.M., No. 530 MDA 2014 (August 28, 2014), the mother and father resided with father’s parents when their son was born.  Father and Mother became separated, and […]

Pennsylvania parents who have custody orders may experience frustration when the other parent does not comply.  A recent decision of the Superior Court (unpublished) affirmed the Montgomery County courts, holding both parents in contempt for various violations of their custody order.  In M.B. v. L.G., No. 2947 EDA 2013 (July 18, 2014), the father of a ten year old child filed a custody contempt petition against the child’s mother when she […]

Parents who are facing custody disputes in Pennsylvania may be interested in understanding how child alienation tactics are viewed by judges in Pennsylvania courts. A recent decision of the Pennsylvania Superior Court (unpublished) illustrates the perils that may befall a parent who engages in alienation tactics.  In B.E. v. D.N., No. 1894 EDA 2013 (April 9, 2014), a mother lost custody of her children, ages 12 and 9, when the […]

Presumably, opinions of the Superior Court are published when, in the estimation of the Court, they articulate important principles of jurisprudence. So, the Superior Court was sending a message to family law practitioners when it chose to publish M.O. v. J.T.R., 2014 Pa.Super. 15 (February 4, 2014). M.O. is a custody case in which Mother and Father were divorced parents of one emancipated daughter and two minor sons.  When they […]