Life Insurance in a Divorce Setting
In many -- if not most -- matrimonial actions, counsel or the court almost always automatically ensure that the dependent spouse is provided with life insurance, despite the fact that the statute authorizing life insurance to secure alimony is permissive and not mandatory. In many cases where there is a child support obligation or an equitable distribution obligation, the purpose of life insurance is clear: to secure these obligations, in the event the paying spouse dies prior to their fulfillment. Life insurance protects the supported spouse by providing a source of funds to assist with the support of the children (an obligation that survives the death of the spouse) and by assuring that the payment of equitable distribution is received (because the payment should not depend on the life or death of the obligor).
Witness Preparation Checklist for Deposition
My field is communications. My specialty is witness preparation. I am not a lawyer. Because I do not have to split my time between preparing a case and preparing a witness, I am free to focus exclusively on the problems and needs of witnesses. Over the years of preparing witnesses for both deposition and trial, I have made some interesting discoveries. For one thing, with proper preparation, there are very few witnesses who will remain bad ones. Almost all of them want to do the best job possible. They are highly motivated. The major reason for the problems and mistakes is lack of understanding of what is expected and lack of practice time to turn instructions into behavior.
The Progressive Lawyer
The "Parenting Coordinator" or "Parent Coordinator" (PC) is a newly evolving professional role, which is now being implemented in an increasing number of states -- with or without the benefit of a specific Rule of Court or statutory authority -- as a means for dealing with high-conflict families involved in domestic relations proceedings before the courts. <b><i>Part One of a Two-Part Article.</i></b>
Bit Parts
Motion Pictures/DefamationThe U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut found that the 1970 film "A Man Called Horse" didn't defame the plaintiff,…
Features
<b>Decision of Note:</b> Station Cleared In Fan Death Over Spears Interview
The New York Appellate Division, Third Department, ordered summary dismissal of a suit over a fan who died after chasing a Britney Spears impersonator outside a radio station.
Features
Courthouse Steps
Recently filed cases in entertainment law, straight from the steps of the Los Angeles Superior Court.
Arbitration Update
Recent cases on the enforcement and requirement of arbitration disputes.
Features
Calif. Justices Consider Words Of TV Writers
The justices of the California Supreme Court recently seemed inclined to keep their fingers out of the creative process that helped breathe life into the characters on the TV sitcom "Friends." The court had been asked to rule whether the show writers' sexually crude comments and simulations while hashing out TV scripts could constitute sexual harassment serious enough to cause a hostile work environment, especially for women and minorities.
Clause & Effect
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled that the owner of an interest in a song failed to show that he reasonably relied on an alleged materially false representation regarding the transfer of his interest in the song ' and thus failed to establish his fraud claim.
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