Motion Practice Archives

What Should I Do When a Family Court Judge Refuses to Look at My Evidence?

What should I do when a family court judge refuses to look at my evidence of abuse because my ex’s lawyer lied about me bringing it to him when I had a witness with me? What you can or should…

Nelson v. Nelson – 2023 UT App 38 – Claim Preclusion and Child Support

2023 UT App 38 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS STASHIA NELSON, Appellee, v. ISAAC SCOTT NELSON, Appellant. Opinion No. 20210345-CA Filed April 13, 2023 First District Court, Logan Department The Honorable Brian G. Cannell No. 154100713 Sara Pfrommer, Ronald D.…

Widdison v. Widdison – 2022 UT App 46 – custody modification

April 13, 2022

Divorce Utah

Appeal, Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Children in Divorce, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custody, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Domestic Relations Commissioners, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Child Support, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Motion Practice, Noncustodial parents, Parental Rights, Petition to Modify Decree of Divorce, Physical Custody, Procedure and Evidence, Sole Custody, Special Circumstances, Unwed Parents, Utah Code, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Utah Court Rules, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

best interest, best interests, discretion, Modification, Parent Time, physical custody, Relocation, stability, substantial and material change in circumstances, Utah Code § 30-3-10.1, Utah Code § 30-3-10.4, Utah Code § 30-3-34, Utah Code § 30-3-37, Utah Code §30-3-36

Widdison v. Widdison – 2022 UT App 46 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS NICOLE WIDDISON, Appellant, LEON BRYANT WIDDISON, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200484-CA Filed April 7, 2022 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Robert P. Faust No.…

In re Adoption of E.M.F. – 2022 UT App 43 time in which to appeal

In re Adoption of E.M.F… – 2022 UT App 43 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF E.M.F. AND M.S.F., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. S.S. AND B.S., Appellants, v. J.F., Appellee. Opinion No.…

Noel v. James – 2022 UT App 33 – civil stalking injunction

Noel v. James – 2022 UT App 33 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS MICHAEL EARL NOEL, Appellee, v. WILLIAM THOMAS JAMES, Appellant. Opinion No. 20200565-CA Filed March 10, 2022 Sixth District Court, Kanab Department The Honorable Marvin D. Bagley No.…

What to do when child won’t comply with the custody award?

What will happen if the court ruled in favor of a mother to have the custody of her child but the child refuses to go with her and she prefers to stay with the father? This situation (and this question)…

2021 UT 33 – Gillman v. Gillman

July 28, 2021

Divorce Utah

Appeal, Justice and Equity, Motion Practice, Supreme Court Decisions, Utah, Utah Court Rules, Utah Law

default, default judgment, merits, motion to set aside, Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 55(c), Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 56

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF UTAH BROOKELYN GILLMAN, CINDY MAUGHAN, CHANCELOR MAUGHAN, AND JOHN MAUGHAN, Appellants, v. GARY WALKER GILLMAN AND LANCE FINN GILLMAN, Appellees. No. 20190404 Heard November 9, 2020 Filed July 22, 2021 On…

How hard did you have to fight to get custody of your child after divorce as a father? What was the biggest problem you faced?

Allow me to start this answer by clearing the air a bit: First, there are many fathers who are clearly unfit fathers but who nonetheless believe the only or the “real” reason they are denied sole or even joint custody…

After a divorce, should my kids be with me or with the mom?

June 1, 2021

Divorce Utah

Abuse, Addiction, Adoption, Best Interest of the Child, Business Interests, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Neglect, Children in Divorce, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custody, Custody Evaluation, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Domestic Violence, Emotional abuse, Equity, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Legal Custody, Legal System, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Motion Practice, Noncustodial parents, Parent Time, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Unwed Parents, Utah Code, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

child custody, fathers, joint custody, joint equal custody, legal custody, mothers, parent, parents

First, you need to understand that you’re asking the wrong question. Child custody is not a zero-sum game; otherwise stated, when parents divorce, or when unmarried parents separate, where you get the idea that the children must be in the…

Are older lawyers better?

Are older lawyers better? If by “older” you mean lawyers who are not fresh out of law school, the answer is: almost always yes. They don’t teach you how to practice law in law school, they teach you how to…

Why do pro se litigants fail so often?

Why do pro se litigants fail so often? And if you’re wondering what a pro se litigant is, here’s the definition: someone who argues his/her own case in a lawsuit, rather than having a lawyer represent him/her and do the…

Janson v. Janson – 2019 UT App 106 – setting aside settlement agreement

June 24, 2019

Divorce Utah

Alimony and Support, Appeal, Court Rules, Division of Marital Property, Divorce Court, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Evidence, Finances, Marital Home, Marital Property, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Alimony, Motion Practice, Negotiation, Pension, Personal Property, Petition to Modify Decree of Divorce, Procedure and Evidence, Property Division, QDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order), Real Estate/Real Property, Retirement Benefits, Separate Property, Settlement, Spousal Support, Termination of Alimony, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

2019, 2019 UT App 106, 401(k), alimony, both parties represented by counsel, court, DEIDRE SUE JANSON, discretion, divorce action, enforceable, extrinsic evidence, Honorable Andrew H. Stone, IRA, Jamie Carpenter Attorney for Appellant, JEFFREY ALAN JANSON, June 20, Kara L. Barton and Ashley Wood Attorneys for Appellee JUDGE MICHELE M. CHRISTIANSEN FORSTER authored this Opinion, marital home, meeting of the minds, motion to set aside a written stipulation, No. 164906327, Opinion No. 20170541-CA, pension, preserve an issue for appeal., purpose of considering extrinsic evidence, QDRO, Salt Lake Department, THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS, Third District Court, to clarify ambiguous terms in the contract, Woodward formula

2019 UT App 106 – Janson v. Janson – setting aside stipulation THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS DEIDRE SUE JANSON, Appellant, v. JEFFREY ALAN JANSON, Appellee. Opinion No. 20170541-CA Filed June 20, 2019 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The…

As a divorce lawyer, what is the most petty thing one of your clients had you do?

January 25, 2018

Divorce Utah

Contempt of Court, Coping With Divorce, Court Rules, Dirty Tricks, Divorce Attorneys, Divorce Court, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Lawyers, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Evidence, Hiring a Divorce Lawyer, Motion Practice, Preparing for Divorce, Procedure and Evidence

QUESTION: As a divorce lawyer, what is the most petty thing one of your clients had you do? ANSWER: Thanks for the question. The answer is: nothing. Legal whores do petty things for clients. FOLLOW UP QUESTION: So what happens…

Can I sue for the child support I paid after our child started living with me?

QUESTION: Can I sue my child’s mother for the child support that was deducted from my pay after our child started living with me, in my home? ANSWER: Utah Code § 78B-12-108 provides (in part), that except in cases of…

Why do Utah divorce courts rarely award attorney fees to the prevailing party?

December 14, 2017

Divorce Utah

Attorney Fees, Divorce Law, Divorce Procedure, Finances, Lawyer Fees, Motion Practice, Special Circumstances

sore winner

Why do Utah divorce courts so rarely award attorney’s fees to the prevailing party? Such a great question, and one that I have to answer with every case, every client. I’m happy to answer it, even if you may not…

Can a Child Be Held in Contempt of Court for Non-compliance with Child Custody and Parent-time Orders?

A minor child of divorced parents need not be a party to the divorce action to be subject to the court’s contempt power. See Crank v. Utah Judicial Council, 20 P.3d 307, 314-315 (Supreme Court of Utah 2001) (accord Iota,…

Smith v. Smith 2017 UT 77 Utah Supreme Court

November 16, 2017

Divorce Utah

Attorney Fees, Court Rules, Jurisdiction, Juvenile Court, Lawyer Fees, Motion Practice, Utah Supreme Court Decisions

This opinion is subject to revision before final publication in the Pacific Reporter This opinion is subject to revision before final publication in the Pacific Reporter Smith v. Smith 2017 UT 77 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF…