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Women and their parenting partners who are contemplating in vitro fertilization (IVF), zygote intrafallopian transfer (ZIFT), surrogacy and other alternative reproductive techniques (ART), should seriously contemplate their need for a pre- or post-nuptial agreement or cohabitation agreement, in order to determine how the frozen embryos will be used, stored or disposed in the event of a divorce or breakup.  IVF is a fertility treatment in which sperm and eggs are combined […]

There is often suspicion when a business that would be marital property fails shortly after marital separation, particularly if the owner spouse subsequently starts a new business.  This is the situation that the Superior Court addressed in its recent opinion, Weisman v. Weisman, Nos. 1471 EDA 2014 (July 14, 2015), a non-precedential decision. Husband was the founder of PRN Healthcare Services, a company that provided skilled and non-skilled nursing care in Montgomery […]

Same-sex couples who are getting married after spending many years in committed relationships may need prenuptial agreements even more than new couples who are just starting out.  That’s the conclusion I’ve reached after contemplating the ramifications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, ___ U.S. ____ (June 26, 2015). In Obergefell, the U.S. Supreme Court held that all Americans have a fundamental right, protected by the U.S. Constitution, […]

According to the old saying, “possession is nine-tenths of the law.” Perhaps that’s true in some context, but in a Pennsylvania divorce decision that was recently published by the Superior Court, possession of a marital home during separation did not dictate the outcome.  In Markle v. Markle, No. 968 WDA 2014 (June 22, 2015)(non-precedential), the marital home was occupied by the wife during the separation period.  During the master’s hearing on […]

Divorcing spouses in Pennsylvania might be well-advised to consider the risks associated with various retirement vehicles, as they decide which assets to retain or divide in equitable distribution.  A recent non-precedential decision of the Superior Court, Wyatt v. Wyatt (No. 1228 MDA 2013, June 11, 2015), illustrates this point. In Wyatt, one of the spouses had a railroad pension that would pay a guaranteed monthly annuity over the employee spouse’s […]

Back in 2012, I reported on a Pennsylvania Superior Court case, Love v. Love, in which Pennsylvania recognized a support obligation arising from sponsorship of a foreign national spouse.  Now, the ABA Family Law Quarterly has published an article, entitled “The I-864 Affidavit of Support: An Intro to the Immigration Form You Must Learn to Love/Hate,” examining Love and similar decisions around the United States.  As the article mentions, a […]