California Family Law Blog

A Malawi Court has scheduled a November 15 hearing for the resumption of pop superstar Madonna’s international adoption case. The Human Rights Consultative Committee is asking the court to ensure that no Malawian laws have been violated during the adoption process. They are also asking to be involved in the process to evaluate the singer’s capacity to bring up the baby according to his best interests. Attorneys for Madonna say no Malawian laws have been broken.

International adoption is essentially a private legal matter between a private individual (or couple) who wishes to adopt and a foreign court, which operates under that country’s laws and regulations. Should any issues or complications arise during the adoption process, U.S. authorities are unable to intervene on behalf of prospective parents with the courts in the country where the adoption is taking place.

What the U.S. State Department Can Do:
· Provide information about international adoption in countries around the world.
· Provide general information about U.S. visa requirements for international adoption.
· Make inquiries of the U.S. consular section abroad regarding the status of a specific adoption case and clarify documentation or other requirements.
· Ensure that U.S. citizens are not discriminated against by foreign authorities or courts in accordance with local law on adoptions.

Continue reading " Madonna International Adoption Case To Resume In November " »

The Bay Area Heart Gallery Exhibit is currently showcasing photographs of 50 Bay Area foster kids who are waiting to be adopted. The traveling exhibit can be seen at the Berkeley Public Library, Central Branch and the Downtown Berkeley YMCA from October 2-31. The exhibit, which began touring on April 26, will eventually have been experienced by people in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Sonoma Counties.

According to statistics collected through 2001 and provided by the California Department of Social Services Reporting System:

· Approximately 102,000 children are in foster care in California. Almost one third of foster children are under 6 years old. Over half the children in foster care are under 11 years old. Many of these children are waiting to be adopted.

· Almost half of the children in foster care have siblings who are also in foster care.

· 31% of children in foster care are White, while a majority (69%) are of minority backgrounds. Of these, 32% of all children are Black, 33% are Hispanic, 1% are American Indian, and 3% are Asian/Pacific Islander.

· In the decade between 1983 and 1993, the number of children in foster care increased 154% in California.

Continue reading " In Alameda County, Bay Area Heart Gallery Photo Exhibit Features Foster Kids And Encourages Californians To Adopt " »

Singer Whitney Houston filed for divorce from husband Bobby Brown last week. Houston appeared in Orange County Superior Court to file her divorce papers. Houston had filed for legal separation from Brown last month. She is asking to be granted custody of daughter Bobbi Kristina. She is also requesting that Brown being allowed visitation rights. The couple got married in 1992.

Brown recently paid $11,000 in delinquent child support for his two teenage children with ex-girlfriend Kim Ward.

In California, grounds for filing divorced can be based on:

· Irreconcilable differences.
· Incurable insanity.

Continue reading " In California, Singer Whitney Houston Files For Divorce From Bobby Brown " »

Pamela Bach, the former Baywatch star and ex-wife of actor David Hasselhoff is asking a California judge to increase her spousal and child support payments. She filed papers in court this month and is asking that her monthly spousal support be increased to $45,463. She also wants her monthly child support payments to be raised to $31,546. The couple have been divorced since July 2006.

In California, a judge calculates spousal support by taking into consideration the following:

· How long the couple has been married or been in a legal domestic partnership.
· The age and health of each spouse.
· How much income each can earn on their own.
· What the expenses of each spouse are.

Continue reading " In California, David Hasselhoff’s Ex-Wife Files For More Spousal and Child Support " »

In Los Angeles Superior Court this month, photographer Larry Birkhead filed a paternity lawsuit demanding that Anna Nicole Smith return to the United States with her one-month-old daughter Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern. He also wants the baby take a paternity test.

Birkhead claims he is the father of the baby girl and is asking for physical and legal custody. He is accusing Smith of going to the Bahamas to have the baby in order to avoid custody and visitation talks.

Smith claims that her attorney Howard K. Stern is the father of her baby and has named him on the child’s birth certificate. She and Stern were married in a non-binding commitment ceremony.

Under California law, any man who is said to be the father of a child is legally entitled to a paternity test to prove that he is the father.

Continue reading " In California, Paternity Dispute Over Who Is The Father Of Anna Nicole Smith’s Child May Go To Court " »

Domestic Violence Awareness Month takes place every October to raise awareness of domestic violence, remember the millions of victims who have been injured or killed as a result of domestic violence, and honor its survivors.

In Santa Clara County, three Kaiser medical professionals, Lisa Munoz, Cassandra Floyd, and Stephanie Rodriguez, were honored on October 4 with a fountain dedicated to their memory and the memories of all victims of domestic violence.

Optical services employee Munoz was killed by an ex-boyfriend in 1999. Floyd, an OB-GYN at Kaiser Permanente’s Santa Teresa Medical Center, was murdered by her ex-husband in 2001. Rodriguez, a medical education coordinator, was killed by her husband in 2003.

Continue reading " In San Jose, Domestic Violence Victims Are Memorialized By Kaiser " »