Issues of Custody, Parenting Time, and One Bad Haircut In a hair-raising decision this week, the Massachusetts Appeals Court upheld the Probate and Family Court’s judgment in James Vander Salm v. Kara Fontenot (2025), addressing issues of custody, parenting time, appellate attorney’s fees – and...
What are Second-Parent Adoptions? While Massachusetts has recognized second-parent adoptions since 1993, which allow for a non-biological parent to adopt the child of a sole legal parent, such adoptions have become even more accessible with the passage of the Massachusetts Parentage Act. Second-parent adoptions protect...
What is the Massachusetts Parentage Act ? On August 9, 2024, Governor Maura Healey signed the Massachusetts Parentage Act into law, aiming to ensure equal rights for all parents, regardless of marital status, the circumstances of the child’s birth – such as surrogacy or reproductive...
Massachusetts Court Rules Engagement Rings must be Returned if the Engagement is Terminated, Regardless of Fault On November 8, 2024, the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in the case of Caroline Settino (Caroline) and Bruce Johnson (Bruce) that engagement rings must be returned to the person...
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Celebrates 40th Anniversary October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and October 12, 2024 marked the 40th anniversary of the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA). This monumental piece of federal legislation has transformed the landscape for crime victims in the United...
