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An Abuse Allegation Against You Has Been “Substantiated”: Now What?
A DCS Investigation Crystal is the mother of three-month-old Michael and six-year-old Grace. A few months ago, she was the subject of a Department of Child Safety (DCS) investigation when Michael fractured his leg after a fall in the park. The attending physician at Phoenix Children’s Hospital believed the x-ray showed a previous, healing break […]
6 years post-Obergefell: Same-sex parenting rights in Arizona
The path to the landmark ruling of Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) was a long and arduous one, filled with decades of small victories and crushing losses, many of which went unrecognized. When same-sex marriage was finally deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court six years ago, it released all of the pent-up energy that had been […]
So You’ve Given Birth to a Substance Exposed Newborn
Imagine you have a friend, Chloe, a lawyer who was prescribed pain meds after a car accident four years ago and ever since suffers from an unfortunate addiction to oxycodone. Chloe is also pregnant with her first child. When Chloe starts to go into labor, she arrives at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the nurses notice […]
So DCS has invited you to a Team Decision-Making Meeting (TDM): Now what?
In the grand scheme of nearly indecipherable acronyms in child welfare investigations, one particular abbreviation stands out as being part of nearly every case but nonetheless being misunderstood by most parents. The “TDM,” or “team decision-making meeting,” is an important step in the resolution of child welfare investigations that proceed beyond initial screening. In nearly […]
How the Medical “Code of Silence” Affects Child Abuse Litigation
By Gregg Woodnick and Isabel Ranney Despite being the fifth-largest city in the United States, Phoenix only has seven board-certified pediatric orthopedic surgeons, five of whom work at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Because of their specialty, it is safe to presume that the surgeons all know each other from their professional community and any conferences they […]
The Not-So Basics of Third-Party Visitation
By Markus Risinger and Isabel Ranney A person’s right to parent their children is a fundamental right under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. The only way to completely dissolve a parent’s fundamental right to parent in Arizona is through severance. Visitation, however, permits a third party to be awarded time with the children if […]
Revisiting Dentists and Divorce
The chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused legal professionals to revisit some of what we thought were constants in the divorce world, one of those being that medical professionals had “guaranteed” income. For many professionals, their practices came to a halt in the midst of the global pandemic. Radiologists had fewer images to review, […]
Do You Handle High Net Worth Divorces?
By: Leslie A. Satterlee & Gregg R. Woodnick You would be surprised how often I hear this question. I hear it during formal consultations in our office and often in passing sitting at the bleachers while making small talk with parents on one of my kids’ sports teams. I used to just say “yes” or […]
Arizona Department of Child Safety: Visitation With Your Child is Non-Essential?
Arizona Department of Child Safety’s (DCS) director, Mike Faust, has issued a handful statements on the COVID-19 pandemic. As recently as April 10, 2020, DCS was not allowing in-person visitation to occur between a parent and their child in DCS custody.
The Misnomer of Web-Valuators: Utilizing Experts to Resolve Vehicle Value Disputes in Divorce
There is roughly one vehicle for every two Americans. The ubiquity of vehicles makes it difficult to imagine a divorce that doesn’t involve a vehicle. Regardless of whether the vehicle is a Honda Odyssey minivan or a vintage Packard that is part of an extensive car collection, utilizing a sound valuation methodology is crucial to both promote settlement and, if necessary, present compelling facts to the court.