Family Law

Professor Picart | Summer 2017

Assignments

A prospective list of assignments will be seen in the tabs above. The professor reserves the right to revise the materials and assignments on this list, as necessary. Students are responsible for locating and preparing adequately for class discussions, including the notes following the assigned readings and the corresponding 2016 Florida Statutes.

Week 1 (May 16 & 19):
I. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS A FAMILY?

A.

Chapter V. The Nonmarital Family
Constitutional Limits on Definitions of “Family”
Functional Definition of Family
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture v. Moreno...........372
Vivian Hamilton, Mistaking Marriage For Social Policy...........378

 

B.

The Extended Family
Moore v. City of East Cleveland...........379
Peggy Cooper Davis, Moore v. East Cleveland: Constructing the Suburban Family


C.

Cohabitation
Marsha Garrison, Nonmarital Cohabitation:...........387
Social Revolution and Legal Regulation
National Marriage Project, Trends of the Past Five Decades: Unmarried Cohabitation...........388
Casey E. Copen et. al., CDC, First Premarital Cohabitation in the United States...........389

D.

Unmarried Couples...........392
Marvin v. Marvin...........392
Gonzalez v. Green...........397

E.

Changing Nature of Marriage...........221
The Slave Community: Plantation Life in the Antebellum South...........222
The Quality of Marriage in Middletown: 1924-1976...........223
Beyond Gay Marriage...........227
The Future of Marriage...........227

Week 2 (May 23 & 26):
II. PRIVATE FAMILY CHOICES

A.

Evolution of the Right to Privacy

1.

The Birth of Privacy...........2

Griswold v. Connecticut...........2

Griswold v. Connecticut: A Brief Case History...........7

Eisenstadt v. Baird...........12

Meyer v. Nebraska...........17

Pierce v. Society of Sisters...........18

2.

Growth of Privacy
Roe v. Wade...........22

A Question of Choice: Roe v. Wade 40th Anniversary Edition Revised and Updated...........30

Brief for the Amici Curiae Women Who Have Had...........32

Abortions and Friends of Amici Curiae in Support Of Appellees, Webster v. Reproductive Health Services Anti-Abortion Laws: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives...........37

3.

Burdens on Privacy

Gonzales v. Carhart...........41

John Leland, Beyond the Slogans: Inside an Abortion Clinic...........49

4.

The Liberation of Privacy...........60

Lawrence v. Texas...........60

Patty Reinert, Pair Proud They Could Get Sodomy Law Thrown Out...........67

Tony Mauro, A “Cultural Milestone” at the High Court

Lawrence Gay Attorneys Turned Out in Force to Witness Lawrence Arguments...........69

B.

When Privacy Rights Conflict

Wives and Husbands

Planned Parenthood ... v. Casey...........75

Children and Parents Cincinnati Women’s Services, Inc., v. Taft...........82

Angela Bonavoglia, Kathy’s Day in Court...........83

Life and Death

Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health...........93

The Terri Schiavo Case

Week 3 (May 30 & June 2):
III. GETTING MARRIED

A.

MARRIAGE...........105-107

1.

The Contract...........108

Maynard v. Hill...........110

2.

Preparing to Marry

Rivkin v. Postal...........110

Campbell v. Robinson...........116

3.

Premarital Contracts

Simeone v. Simeone...........120

In re Marriage of Shanks...........123

B.

Getting Married: Substantive and Procedural Regulations

Loving v. Virginia...........133

Zablocki v. Redhail...........137

Turner v. Safley...........145

C.

State Regulations of Entry into the Marital Relationship

Substantive Restrictions:...........151

United States v. Windsor (Same Sex) 133 S. Ct. 2675 (2013)...........151

Obergefell v. Hodges (Same Sex) 135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015)...........158

Michael Rosenwald, How Jim Obergefell v. Hodges...........167
Became the Face of the Supreme Court Gay Marriage Case

Jim Obergefell, The Legacy of Obergefell v. Hodges...........168

David K. Garrow, Toward A More Perfect Union...........169

Notes...........170

In Re Adoption of M (Incest)...........177

Note: Void and Voidable Distinction...........179

Notes...........179

Brown v. Buhman (Bigamy)
947 F. Supp. 2d 1170 (D. Utah 2013)...........181

Jack Anderson, Adventures Among the Polygamists...........187

Notes...........188

Elizabeth Joseph, My Husband’s Nine Wives...........192

Kirkpatrick v. District Court (Age)...........192

Notes...........195

Blair v. Blair (Fraud and Duress)...........198

Notes...........199

Note: Marriage Fraud in Immigration...........202

D.

Procedural Restrictions (will also discuss relevant FL Statutes, such as FL 741.04 (Marriage License); 741.0405 (under 18); 741.041 (Marriage License Application Valid for 60 days); 741.05 (Penalty for Violation)

 

1.

Carabetta v. Carabetta

(Licensure and Solemnization)...........203

Harriette Cole, Jumping the Broom: The African-American Wedding Planner...........205

Ginia Bellafante, Even in Gay Circles, the Women Want

A Ring...........206

Notes...........207

2.

Procedural Variations

Proxy Marriages, Confidential Marriages...........209-215

3.

Informal Marriages...........210

Jennings v. Hurt (Common Law Marriage)...........210

Notes...........213

 

4.

Putative Spouse Doctrine and Other Curative Devices...........217

 

PRACTICE EXAM

Week 4 (June 6 & 9):
IV. Divorce/Dissolution...........477-484

Ms. Kelly McNeal, a senior attorney in Family and Business Law, will be a guest speaker during this week.

A.

Fault Based Grounds for Divorce:

1.

Brown v. Brown (Adultery)...........484

Notes...........484

2.

Anderson v. Anderson (Cruelty)...........489

Notes...........489

3.

Reid v. Reid (Desertion)...........493

Notes...........495

4.

Fault Based Defenses:

a.

Jenkins v. Jenkins (Recrimination)...........497

Notes...........499

b.

Haymes v. Haymes (Condonation)...........499

Notes...........501

c.

Other Fault-Based Defenses...........503

Connivance, Collusion, Insanity

B.

No Fault Divorce...........504-510

1.

FL – 61.052 (Dissol’n of Marriage), FL – 61.031 (vinculo), FL – 61.043-61.044 (Commencement of Proceeding – Existing Defenses Abolished), 61.061 (versus nonresidents)

2.

Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act...........508

Bennington v. Bennington...........511

Notes...........511

Feltmeier v. Feltmeier...........514

Notes...........517

Assessment of the No-Fault “Revolution”...........520-524

C.

Access to Divorce

Boddie v. Connecticut (economic obstacles)...........524

Notes...........527

Note: Pro Se Divorce...........529

Note: Religious, Social, and Cultural Obstacles Surround Divorce...........530

D.

The Role of Counsel 533 Moses v. Moses (Emotional Aspects of Divorce) 535 Florida Bar v. Dunagan 537 Robert Spector, The Do’s and Don’ts When One Lawyer Represents Both Parties 543 Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Bd. v. Morrison (Sexual Ethics) 546

E.

Divorce Jurisdiction Over the Plaintiff and Defendant In re. Marriage of Kimura (Domicile & full faith & credit) 551 Notes 557 Durational Residency Requirements 559 Sosna v. Iowa 559 Notes 562 FL 61.021 (Residence Requirements) Domestic Relations Exception to Diversity Jurisdiction 564 Ankenbrandt v. Richards 564 Notes 567

F.

Financial Consequences of Dissolution

(Marital Assets/Liabilities)...........571-573

FL 61.075 (Equit. Distrib. Of Marital Assets & Liabilities)

Ferguson v. Ferguson

(Homemaker services- how to calculate)...........573

Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act...........575

Notes...........577

Mani v. Mani (Spousal Support/Alimony)...........582

FL 61.071 – Pendente lite

FL 61.08 (Alimony), 61.09 (Alimony & child support unconnected to Dissolution), 61.10 (Adjudication of obligation to support spouse or minor child unconnected with dissolution; parenting plan), 61.11 (writs), 61.12 (Attachment/Garnishment)

Uniform Marriage & Divorce Act...........586

Notes...........588

Wolfe v. Wolfe (A Case Study)...........594

Paul v. Paul, 60 A.3d 1080 (Del. 2012)
(Changing Circumstances)...........602

Notes...........603

Howard v. Howard, 336 S.W.3d 433 (Ky. 2011) (Bankruptcy)...........605

Notes...........607

Bender v. Bender (Pensions/EE Benefits; vested and nonvested)...........610

Notes...........614

In re. Marriage of Roberts (Investments in Spouse’s Future Success: Degrees, Earning Capacity, and Goodwill)...........617

Notes 621 Taxation (Gross Income=taxable; gross income includes alimony)...........625

Rykiel v. Rykiel...........626

Notes...........628

G.

Child Support (Notes following Cases)

FL 61.30 (Child Support Guidelines; Retroactive Child Support)

Turner v. Turner...........632

McLeod v. Starnes...........639

Pohlmann v. Pohlmann (Remarriage)...........644

Olmstead v. Ziegler (Voluntarily Underemployed)...........649

Kulko v. Superior Court...........667

(Ct may grant divorce ex parte but due Process requires personal juris over both spouses to resolve the financial incidents of divorce)

Draper v. Burke (Enforcement UIFSA)...........673

H.

Separation Agreements...........679

Miles v. Miles...........679

Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act...........681

Week 5 (June 13 & 16) : V. Child Custody...........687
The Honorable Victor Hulslander, an 8th Judicial Circuit Court Judge in Family Law, will be visiting the class either during Week 5 or Week 6 of the class.

FL 61.13 [Support of Children; Parenting & Time-Sharing] (pay particular attention to 61.13 (2)-(8)); UCCJEA, page 781 in text and International Child Abduction Act, page 783 in text)

Devine v. Devine (Tender Years Presumption)...........690

(Primary Caretaker Presumption)...........693

(Best Interests of the Child)...........694

Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act Section 402...........696

Palmore v. Sidoti (Constitutional Factor-Race)...........697

Sagar v. Sagar (Religion)...........700

Fulk v. Fulk (Fitness - Sexual Orientation)...........705

Rowe v. Franklin (Careers)...........710

Peters-Riemers v. Reimers (Domestic Violence)...........716

Physical Disability...........723

Bell v. Bell (Joint Custody)...........725

Turner v. Turner (Denial of Visitation)...........738

Troxell v. Granville (parent vs non-parent)...........743

Notes...........750

Child’s Preference - McMillen v. McMillen...........755

Representation for the Child – Hoskins v. Hoskins
(_ S.W.3d _, 2015 WL 222177 (Ky. Ct. App. 2015)...........759

Modification of Custody Orders...........769

Relocation – Ciesluk v. Ciesluk...........771

Jurisdiction and Enforcement...........779

What Process Should Govern Custody Disputes?...........785

Termination of Parental Rights: Santosky v. Kramer...........866

Week 6 & 7 (June 20 & 23; June 27 & 30):
VI. FL Statute 39

DEPENDENCY – FL 39.01(1) abandoned, (2) abused, (15) dependent child, (25) disposition hearing, (30) Harm, (44) neglect, (56) physical injury, (70) sexual abuse of a child, (71) shelter, (72) shelter hearing, (76) substance abuse, (77) substantial compliance), (78) taken into custody, (80) victim

VII. Parentage: Formation, Consequences, and Limits of the Parent-Child Relationship

A.

Identifying Who Is A Parent

FL Chapter 742 (Determination of Parentage)

In Re M.F............798

Astrue v. Capato...........805

Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, 133 S. Ct. 2552 (2013)...........811

Michael H. v. Gerald D. 822

K.E.M. v. P.C.S............822

Surrogacy...........827

St. Mary v. Damon, 309 P.3d 1027 (Nev. 2013)...........830

Jason P. v. Danielle S., 171 Cal. Rptr. 3d 789 (Ct. App.), review Denied, 2014 Cal. LEXIS 5345 (Cal. 2014)...........834
Notes...........837
837 Szafranski v. Dunston, 34 N.E. 3d 1132 (Ill. App. Ct. 2015)...........847

Parents’ And Children’s Rights in the Nonmarital Family...........441

Limitations on Unmarried Parents' (Fathers'?) Rights

Stanley v. Illinois...........454

Michael H. v. Gerald D............457

Chatterjee v. King, 280 P.3d 283 (N.M. 2012)...........469

Uniform Parentage Act [Revised]...........465

B.

ADOPTION

FL 63.042 (Adoption)

In Re Adoption of M.S............882

 

 

REVIEW (Week 7: June 30)

FINAL EXAM: July 11, 2017 at 6-9 p.m.