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All five partners of Pollock Begg Komar Glasser & Vertz LLC have been named to 2012 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers — an honor bestowed on just 5 percent of the state’s attorneys. Several associates at the Downtown family law firm also received recognition in this year’s rankings. Although several of the partners have been named to Super Lawyers since its inception, this is the seventh consecutive year all five partners have […]

Three related issues were addressed by the Superior Court last month in SMC v. WPC, 2012 PA Super 92 (April 24, 2012). First, the Superior Court held that evidence of post-separation misconduct rising to the level of indignities is not sufficient to establish a defense to spousal support unless it sheds light upon similar misconduct prior to separation. More specifically, the Court affirmed a decision not to deny spousal support to […]

The Superior Court this week heard the plea of a Vietnam Veteran who argued that the increase in value of his VA benefits, which had been deposited into an investment portfolio prior to marriage, should retain the exempt character of the underlying VA benefits, which may not be divided in equitable distribution. One cannot imagine a fact pattern more perfect than that Goodemote v. Goodemote, 2012 PA Super 94 (May 1, 2012). […]

Resolving a divorce requires a lot of information. The process of exchanging information and documents is formally known as “discovery.” Our courts have issued rules that litigants must follow when requesting discovery and responding those requests. The discovery rules include deadlines for answering requests and procedures for resolving conflicts when litigants do not produce all that is asked of them. Discovery can be a major headache for divorcing spouses. No […]

The Superior Court yesterday issued an opinion affirming a trial court’s decision to award frozen embyros to the wife as part of her equitable distribution of marital property, based upon her testimony that the embryos are her only reasonable chance to procreate after surviving cancer treatments that rendered her infertile. The trial court rejected Husband’s argument that he did not wish to have a child with his ex-wife or to […]

When separated spouses file their income tax returns, they generally have a choice of filing jointly or separately. If they file jointly, they may have to decide how to allocate the tax liability or refund. If they file separately, they may have to decide how to allocate itemized deductions, the children’s dependency exemptions, and credits. The advice of a competent tax preparer, CPA or tax lawyer can be most helpful. […]