Category Archives: Leslie A. Satterlee
Supreme Court Hears Key Adoption Case for Arizona
The U.S. Supreme Court heard an important adoption case on April 16. The case, captioned Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, involves complex issues of sovereignty and statutory construction, to say nothing of the high stakes element of a little girl’s … Continue reading
Arizona Judge Denies “Pregnant Man” Divorce
In December, we outlined some of the legal issues surrounding the so-called “Pregnant Man” divorce. Last week, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled against Thomas Beatie, saying that he had failed to prove that his marriage is valid, azcentral.com … Continue reading
Proposal Will Change Arizona Child Custody Law
A new piece of legislation in Arizona may require divorced parents to file notices with the court and serve their ex-spouse with the notices before moving. The bill, described by Bob Christie writing for the Associated Press (reprinted on azfamily.com … Continue reading
Prenuptial Agreements in Arizona
A recent article in Huffington Post describes the circumstances surrounding the divorce of Peter and Elizabeth Petrakis. Peter, reportedly worth $20-30 million, executed a prenuptial agreement with Elizabeth before the marriage, but a trial judge declared the agreement unenforceable due … Continue reading
Child Support and College Tuition
In any marriage dissolution involving children, the parties agree that the best interests of their offspring are important. The form that those best interests take and the best ways to ensure they are secured, however, can be contentious. For divorcing … Continue reading
Psychologist Accused of Professional Negligence in Boy’s Death
On February 19, Associated Press reported that Hera McLeod, mother of a 15-month-old boy who drowned while in his father’s care, is suing the psychologist who suggested the visitation. The court-ordered unsupervised visitation came after Margaret Wong, a psychologist who … Continue reading
Bankruptcy and Divorce
Often, a married couple’s decision to divorce comes when they are already considering filing for bankruptcy. In other cases, bankruptcy is used by one divorcing party as a strategy to discharge some of the financial burdens of the dissolution action. … Continue reading
Spousal Maintenance in Arizona
One of the most complex and contested issues in a dissolution action is spousal maintenance. Spousal maintenance, previously known as ‘alimony,’ is a court-ordered award of payments from the spouse with higher income to the other spouse, often for a … Continue reading
ASU’s New Beginnings Program Offers Help to Divorced Parents
Separation or divorce is a trying experience for any family, but the greatest impact is often felt in families with children. Young children are especially vulnerable during times of change – a divorce can leave a child feeling frightened, neglected, … Continue reading
Domestic Violence and Custody
On December 1, 2012, then-Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher murdered his girlfriend, 22-year-old Kasandra Perkins, in the couple’s home, then drove to the team’s practice facility and killed himself. Now, Belcher’s mother and Perkins’ family are embroiled in a … Continue reading
