Off-the-shelf DNA test kits and online genealogical searches are connecting previously unknown extended family members and sometimes alerting children their dad is actually not their biological father. Could a claim to an estate be far behind?
A drug-addicted mother couldn’t convince the Indiana Court of Appeals to reconsider the termination of her parent-child relationship with her young daughter after the panel concluded there was sufficient evidence to prove the removal was in the child’s best interests, even if some of it was admitted in error.
In response to a lawsuit seeking to require the state appoint attorneys to represent children in termination of parental rights or children in need of services proceedings, Indiana is arguing that adding more lawyers would only flatter the legal professionals and not mollify tragic circumstances.
A child in need of services case has been dismissed after an appellate panel concluded that a mother’s motion to dismiss because the fact-finding hearing was not completed within the statutory timeframe was incorrectly denied by the trial court.
There wasn’t enough evidence to prove a woman in the middle of a divorce need a protective order, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled, finding there was no evidence her husband was stalking her.
After three years of collaboration and research, efforts to create more options of independence for Hoosiers who face the confines of a guardianship have come to fruition. Those new options include legal recognition of supported decision making.
Despite the filing of a dissolution petition, prominent Indianapolis-area divorce law firm Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., is not ceasing operations.
An imprisoned father who murdered the mother of his children and burned down her home lost his appeal of the termination of his parental rights after an appellate court concluded that the children were better off out of his care.
A failed mediation attempt has led to court proceedings to dissolve a prominent Indianapolis-area divorce law firm. Kena Hollingsworth of Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., filed a petition for dissolution of her Carmel firm in Kena S. Hollingsworth v. Hollingsworth & Zivitz, P.C., and Christina M. Zivitz, 29D02-1904-PL-003832, writing that a “deadlock” exists between her and partner Christina Zivitz over the management of the firm.
The Indiana Court of Appeals has rejected the petition of two biological parents to establish paternity for their child after the appellate court concluded the mother could not collaterally attack a previous paternity finding for another man who assumed he was the father.
As Senate Enrolled Act 1 was heading for its third and final reading in the Indiana House of Representatives, Rep. Vanessa Summers reminded her colleagues that their work in helping reform the Department of Child Services is not finished.
Proposed revisions to the Indiana Child Support Guidelines are currently open for comment. The guidelines are reviewed every four years in accordance with federal law, and attorneys described the proposals as tweaks and adjustments to align the courts with the ongoing evolution of family structures.
The Indiana Court of Appeals reiterated that a pair of grandparents seeking to visit their deceased son’s child should be given their day in court.
The Indiana Court of Appeals admitted it made an erroneous statement in reversing a termination of parental rights order and granted the Department of Child Services’ request for a rehearing. But the appellate panel Wednesday affirmed its initial opinion, concluding the error had no bearing its original ruling that a mother’s due process rights were violated.
With fresh perspectives and experiences added to their legal toolbelts, two international Indiana University McKinney School of Law students are preparing to tackle human rights issues in their communities head on.
Both Jackie Phillips-Stackman and her wife, Lisa, carry copies of their daughter’s birth certificate with them wherever they go as they wait for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to issue an opinion that they fear could upend their family.
A mother whose kids were found to be children in need of services despite her successful efforts to stay sober and get the help she needed found favor with an appellate panel Monday, who reversed the CHINS adjudication on the basis of insufficient evidence.
A bill that would allow the Indiana Supreme Court to establish a preventive pilot program targeting at-risk juveniles won the approval of the House Judiciary Committee Monday, advancing to the House floor.
Despite a man’s assertions that a trial court erred in denying his motion to correct error regarding the split of marital assets, the Indiana Court of Appeals found no such error occurred against him. Rather, it found error occurred against his ex-wife when she did not receive the full equalization payment after selling their farm.
While the effort to give foster parents standing in cases involving abused and neglected children has stalled in the Statehouse, numerous child welfare and Department of Child Services reforms appear poised to pass the Indiana General Assembly.