We are dedicated to helping our clients face challenging family law matters without fighting in court, and we are so fortunate when clients share their experience. In the review below, a former client discusses how Family Diplomacy lawyer Britney Penaherrera helped in her situation:
According to a report in the Tampa Bay Times, a woman in a Hernando County Family Law Court was seeking to get a domestic violence restraining order against her mother when she made some odd statements. When asked about her extensive criminal background, the woman claimed that she was a DEA agent.
Hernando County Judge Stephen E. Toner gave the woman several opportunities to change her testimony, but she did not. The family law judge then requested that the Sheriff’s Office check on the woman’s claim, which turned out to be bogus, and the woman was found to be in contempt of court and sentenced to 5 months and 29 days in jail.
Due to budget cuts, the Hillsborough County Clerk of the Court is reducing the hours it will handle court-related services. Beginning July 1, 2012, the hours were cut to 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. This will affect the filing and processing of family law (i.e., adoption, divorce, paternity, child support, child custody, name change, etc.) documents.
If you have a Tampa family law case and you wish to scheduled a consultation with a Florida family law attorney, contact The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., at (813) 443-0615 or fill out our online form.
For quite some time, Florida has permitted child support and alimony payments to be deducted directly from a person’s paycheck. This had been done through an income deduction order authorized by section 61.1301 of the Florida Statutes.
Recently, the federal government mandated that OMB Form 0970-0154 (Income Withholding for Support Order) be used in place of state income deduction forms. Accordingly, Hillsborough County’s Thirteenth Judicial Circuit has published a packet which includes the federal Income Withholding Order along with the Florida Addendum to the federal order and a Payment Information Sheet.
If you have a matter involving Florida alimony or child support and you are looking to schedule a consultation with a Tampa Bay family law attorney, contact The Law Firm of Adam B. Cordover, P.A., at (813) 443-0615 or by filling out our online form.
Tampa’s City Council recently approved the creation of a domestic partnership registry, which will be open to the public beginning June 25, 2012. The cities of Saint Petersburg, Clearwater, and Gulfport have followed Tampa’s lead, and will all soon have domestic partnership registries. The Tampa Bay Times writes:
[St. Petersburg’s] law…requires health care facilities to allow any registered domestic partner to visit their mate and make care decisions if their partner is incapacitated.
Since January, all hospitals receiving federal aid were required to allow domestic partners access to patients and the control of their care. A city registry would help local hospitals follow federal guidelines, said Jeannine Williams, an assistant city attorney.
The Pasco County, Florida, Clerk of the Court has posted Administrative Order 2011-032 PA/PI-CIR, which describes the holiday schedule for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pasco and Pinellas Counties:
RE: COURT HOLIDAYS – 2012
In accordance with the State Courts System Personnel Regulations, the following will be official court holidays for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in 2012.
NEW YEAR’S HOLIDAY Monday, January 2
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY Monday, January 16
GOOD FRIDAY Friday, April 6
MEMORIAL DAY Monday, May 28
You may have heard about common law marriages. Generally speaking, they are unions in which the couple has not been licensed for marriage by the state but have lived with one another for a certain period of time and have voluntary held one another out to others as being a married couple.
Prior to 1968, couples could enter into a common law marriage in Florida and have all the rights and responsibilities that come with a state-licensed marriage. However, with the passage of section 741.211 of the Florida Statutes, couples could no longer enter into common law marriages in Florida. The current iteration of section 741.211 reads as follows:
Common-law marriages void.—No common-law marriage entered into after January 1, 1968, shall be valid, except that nothing contained in this section shall affect any marriage which, though otherwise defective, was entered into by the party asserting such marriage in good faith and in substantial compliance with this chapter.
However, this statute does not abolish Florida’s recognition of all common law marriages.
