Absent Parents and Termination of Rights

A judge may draw a negative inference from a parent’s absence and find that the parent is unfit. This thus terminates parental rights, according to a recent decision of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Background: In Adoption of Talik, the Court terminated parental...

Alimony Modification and the Emancipation

A recent Massachusetts case addressed the issue of alimony modification where the event triggering a material change of circumstances was the emancipation of a child. Background: In Flor v. Flor, the parties’ divorce judgment ordered the husband to pay the wife child...

What is a Parenting Plan?

Benjamin and Sarah are divorcing. They have four children between the ages of 6 and 17. Both parties contest the issue of custody of the children. And, both parties want to establish a plan to share legal and physical custody. The parties want the parenting plan to be...