Where a wife’s counsel withdrew prior to an equitable distribution hearing and the wife was given 11 months to retain new counsel before such hearing was held, the denial of her request for additional discovery, made more than six months ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Per Curiam Opinion Virginia Court of Appeals

Where a property settlement agreement provided that the wife was entitled to one-half of the monthly disability and retirement benefits her husband was receiving, and the amount of the husband’s monthly benefit increased after the divorce became final, the wife ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge William G. Petty Virginia Court of Appeals

Where a marital separation agreement provided that a defaulting party was responsible for any costs, including but not limited to attorneys’ fees that the prevailing incurred in enforcing the provisions of the agreement, the court did not have discretion to ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge Rosemarie Annunziata Virginia Court of Appeals

Where a husband was employed by the military when he got married and had not yet retired at the time of his divorce, his wife was entitled to an equitable distribution of 50% of the marital share of the husband’s ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge William G. Petty Virginia Court of Appeals

An individual who voluntarily acknowledged the paternity of a child and helped raise the child could not be awarded visitation and joint legal custody based on his status as a parent because subsequent genetic testing revealed that another man was ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge Wesley G. Russell Jr. Virginia Court of Appeals

Where an individual affirmed that he was the natural parent of a child on the child’s birth certificate despite knowing at the time that another man may have been the child’s biological father, and genetic testing later conclusively established that ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge Mary B. Malveaux Virginia Court of Appeals

Where plaintiff petitioned to exercise a reservation for additional spousal support that was included in their property settlement agreement (PSA), the court concludes that a showing of changed circumstances is not required to consider the petition. Further, even if changed ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge David Bernhard Virginia Circuit Courts

Although the court rejected virtually all of the husband’s issues on appeal, the appeal was not a total loss for the husband because the court held he was not responsible for his wife’s attorney’s fees. The court relied on the ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge Richard Y. AtLee Jr. Virginia Court of Appeals

Where a mother made significant progress to maintain her sobriety after her children were placed in foster care, but she held approximately 10 different jobs over a two-year period and was unable to demonstrate her ability to maintain a permanent ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge Mary Grace O'Brien Virginia Court of Appeals

A wife who twice violated terms of a property settlement agreement was sanctioned by the court.  A third sanction was vacated, however, because it was a criminal contempt sanction in what the circuit court maintained was a civil contempt proceeding. ...

Tagged with: Domestic Relations Judge Wesley G. Russell Jr. Virginia Court of Appeals