In a recent tightly orchestrated, if not closely watched, courtroom drama, New York has rejected the claim that chimpanzees possess the fundamental right to liberty. The suit brought by the Nonhuman Rights Project against Patrick Lavery, the owner of Santa’s Hitching Post, a farm and tourist attraction in Gloversville, New…
It is no secret that the Courts are overburdened with litigation. With matrimonial trials sometimes lasting weeks, courtroom time is at a premium. Wishing to reduce both the congestion and the cost of litigation, judges will commonly appoint “neutral” experts, instead of each party hiring his/her own partisan expert. By…
Along with the national debt, global warming, and other harbingers of doom, we have come to expect that the divorce rate will simply continue to rise. Many of society’s ills will, no doubt, continue to increase unabated, but divorce may not be one of them. At least not for those…
At first, just leaving Queens to attend the University of Miami must have seemed glamorous. Add to that dating NBA all star Paul George, and for Daniela Rajic, it must have seemed other-worldly — at least until a pregnancy test came up positive. Upon returning home to her family in…
It’s hard to know just what it is that you don’t know. When you think you know enough to handle your own case in court, you may know just enough to fool yourself, but not the court. The recent divorce case G.T v. A.T. from Suffolk County, New York, provides…
There is no question that equal access to the courts is essential to the fair administration of justice. Whether it’s filing an initial petition, demanding a speedy trial, or gaining access to court records, all persons should be afforded equal opportunity. This may be self-evident to some, but in the…
Brooklyn Family Court recently played host to a mother’s nightmare when questionable family photos became the subject of a child abuse case brought against her and her husband. Luckily for this “loving and attentive mother” in Matter of CW v. CYR the Court ultimately dismissed the petition and found only that Mrs….
Just as not every marriage ends in divorce, not every relationship ends in marriage. For those unrestrained by a state contract but left empty-handed, there is some consolation if an alternative agreement was made. As the recent decision of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court in Dee…
The constitutional right to travel freely, like all rights, exists in a balance with other rights. For instance, courts have long held that a custodial parent is not free to relocate to a distant locale without court permission, since the move may be contrary to the children’s best interests. But…
The thousands of comments to the recent report of attorney David Schorr’s defamation suit filed against court psychologist Marilyn Schiller are mostly incredulous, along the lines of how can a father be penalized for what most agreed is good parenting. Schiller had recommended that Schorr’s visitation be curtailed when he refused to…
