Same-sex marriage has become a prominent point of political debate in recent years. And while several states have now legalized same-sex marriage, there is still a lack of statistical information surrounding same-sex couples. The focus in Massachusetts and around the...
Protecting Individuals, Families And Children Every Step Of The Way
Law Offices of Lisa A. Ruggieri
Court orders mother to pay child support to emancipated daughter
An out-of-state court decision has held that children who are legally emancipated from their parents may be entitled to child support payments. In a unanimous decision, the court held that a girl, who had left her home at age 13 due to her mother's abusive boyfriend,...
Be careful of being too nice during a Massachusetts divorce
Experts have found that a large amount of mistakes made in a divorce proceeding come from the parties being too nice to each other. In many cases, this desire is based on the parties looking to leave the marriage with as little resistance as possible. However, this...
Paying for college tuition after divorce not easy
Given the rising cost of a college education, an issue has arisen as to parents' responsibility for paying their child's tuition after divorce. It was recently released that the average cost for one year of tuition at a private college has exceeded $35,000 and that...
Child support may be easier to collect from parents living abroad
The United States House of Representatives recently passed a bill that could make it easier for child support to be collected from parents who reside outside of the United States. The bill is an attempt to ratify a 2007 international treaty with other countries. If...
Will the divorce hotel work?
Influenced by the expeditious American wedding, a man has introduced the idea of a divorce hotel, a way for couples to quickly resolve their divorce issues over the course of a weekend. The idea behind the divorce hotel is to provide couples who are planning on...
Massachusetts court says DOMA is unconstitutional
A Boston federal court has ruled that a law denying same-sex couples certain government rights is unconstitutional. In a ruling handed down on May 31, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals declared that the language as set forth in the Defense of Marriage Act inhibits the...
Man with 30 children struggles to pay child support
Child support payments are often a necessary part of a divorce when couples have children together. The payments are used to give children a stable life. When one parent fails to pay child support, it seems that everyone suffers.While many parents in Massachusetts...
Facebook is fair game in Massachusetts divorces
Facebook is a medium in which people can share ideas, post pictures and reconnect with old friends. The social media website burst onto the scene not long ago, but it is now a leader in social networking, connecting people from all over the world. We all know what...
Divorce almost inevitably follows separation
Divorce can be a long and complicated process, and it may even go through multiple fits and starts. As part of that process, the typical starting point is a period of separation between the spouses during which they may reassess their marriage. Of course, it may come...
