On Sept. 20, a Brooklyn jury found a court officer guilty of accepting bribes to steer cases to Brooklyn Matrimonial Justice Gerald P. Garson's docket, but acquitted the other defendant in the case.

Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.

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In last month's newsletter, we looked at some of the problems divorcing non-permanent U.S. resident immigrants can face when divorce, annulment or separation interferes with their plans to become permanent residents. We discussed some of the ways they can overcome these obstacles to legal permanent residence in the United States, but there are others that should be considered, in the appropriate circumstances.

The forensic evaluator's report can be crucial to the outcome of a domestic violence case, but the wrong type of evaluation can undermine a strong case. Psychologists who put themselves into the shoes of the judge when making their evaluations step over the line of clinical evaluation and can alienate the fact finder. Obtaining an assessment from a forensic psychologist with the correct understanding of his or her role in the decision-making process can is crucial.

In October, state comptroller Alan G. Hevesi issued the first official opinion from the government of New York concerning the state's recognition of the foreign marriages of gay partners with regard to a concrete right to state benefits. In a letter to a state employee who had asked what his partner's state benefits would be if they got married in Canada, Hevesi wrote that the employee's spouse would be entitled to state pension funds in the same manner that a traditional, opposite-sex spouse would be. New York State already allows state employees to name same-sex partners as beneficiaries of their pension funds, but Hevesi's decision means same-sex spouses will have rights that they might not have if their partners did not voluntarily name them as pension beneficiaries. In addition, same-sex spouses will be entitled to cost-of-living increases and accidental death benefits.

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New York remains the only state in the union without a no-fault divorce provision on its books. Domestic Relations Law ' 170 authorizes divorce on grounds of adultery, abandonment and cruel and unusual treatment, but the closest thing to a no-fault divorce in this state is the recorded separation agreement followed by a year of living separately. Although this last ground might seem simple enough to comply with, it requires agreement by the parties and the often-expensive maintenance of separate residences before the marital assets have been distributed. If the New York State Bar Association has its way, all this will soon change.

Features

Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.

Medical malpractice issues in today's headlines