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Estranged parents in Pennsylvania might wonder whether a court is likely to award shared custody when there is parental conflict. Recently the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, in S.A.W. v. R.J.S. (non-precedential), No. 2214 MDA 2015 (August 5, 2016), heard an appeal from a Father hoping to overturn a shared custody decision. The Father argued that shared custody was not in the children’s best interests because the parents were incapable of cooperating with […]

“How do I pay my child support?” is a question I am frequently asked by clients. Pursuant to federal and state law, child support orders must be paid via wage attachment unless the support recipient agrees in writing to waive it. Even if the wage attachment is waived, the payments must be submitted to the Pennsylvania State Collection and Disbursement Unit in Harrisburg (which we call “SCDU” or “Ski-Doo”). Federal […]

The increasing use of electronic communications, from Facebook to text messaging, has challenged our courts to determine what is admissible evidence in family law hearings. The Pennsylvania Superior Court has recently considered that issue in a criminal proceeding where text messages were introduced to prove the defendant’s intent to deliver illicit drugs in his possession. In Com. v. Koch, 2011 Pa.Super. 201 (September 16, 2011), the Superior Court acknowledged that […]

The Pennsylvania child support guidelines were modified on August 3, 2011, effective September 3, 2011.

In Kent v. Kent (March 18, 2011), the Superior Court of Pennsylvania rejected a parent’s argument that she should be entitled to collect alimony for a period of eleven years so that she could continue to homeschool the parties’ minor children. It was undisputed in this case that the mother had withdrawn from the workforce five years earlier in order to home-school the parties’ children, which she continued to do up […]

The initial weeks of a marital separation are probably the most turbulent, uncertain part of the divorce process. The first few choices that spouses must make when they are contemplating divorce are important legal strategy decisions that require thoughtful consideration. Your divorce lawyer can help to assess the risks and possible consequences of those initial decisions. 1.   Move out or stay put? Pennsylvania doesn’t recognize a legal separation as some […]