Child’s College Expenses Problematic Upon Divorce. Why it’s Important To Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say
With the importance of higher education becoming more apparent every day, it is not uncommon for divorcing couples to decide to provide for their children’s college expenses. In Ohio, like many other states, domestic relations courts cannot ordera parent to pay these costs because the duty of support generally ends once a child reaches the age of 18 (or in some situations at 19) . Nevertheless, the parties can negotiate a division of the college expenses and incorporate it into a separation agreement.
Generally speaking, a separation agreement is a contract and is therefore, binding on the parties involved. So, if you decide to agree to be on the hook for your children’s college expenses upon divorce, it is extremely important that the language within your agreement clearly expresses your intent.
In many cases, the children of these divorcing couples have yet to reach the age of 18. Therefore, these provisions providing for college expenses are quite often a future occurrence not set to happen … Read More... “College Expenses And Divorce”
A few years ago when Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin announced they were “consciously uncoupling”, many rolled their eyes at what felt like pretentious language.
Earlier this summer, the Supreme Court held that an individual’s right to marry a person of his or her choice to be a fundamental right under the United States Constitution. This ruling, highly publicized and long-anticipated, sparked expansive debate regarding Same-Sex Marriages across the country as citizens struggled to adapt their personal and professional lives in accordance with the Court’s intent to equally expand the rights of marriage to same-sex couples. Not long after, small businesses engaged in the “wedding industry” – perhaps, most notably a bakery in Colorado – announced that due to personal beliefs, they would not extend their services to same-sex couples that wished to marry. Debate and litigation continues to develop as courts begin to unearth whether the personal beliefs of business owners to essentially engage in discrimination violate the Supreme Court’s holding.
The State of Ohio has eighty-eight (88) counties and each county has a Child Support Enforcement Agency (“CSEA”) tasked with the collection of child support payments from Obligors (primarily Fathers and former Husbands). For many years, the Child Support Enforcement Agencies have been able to “intercept” Income Tax Refunds of Obligors having arrearages in their child Support Accounts. Recently, a new “weapon” has been added to the arsenal of the Child Support Agencies. They can now intercept racino or gambling winnings of Obligors who are behind with child support payments.
In a recent article published in The Journal of Marriage and Family, a study of the child support provided by approximately 400 low-income, non-residential fathers suggests that “in-kind” support, that is, support in the form of something other than money, is not typically considered even though it constitutes about one quarter of the total support given. Click 
In a previous article written on July 25, 2015, titled, “
In September 2014, a luxurious resort in upstate New York became the first hotel in the United States in which you can check in married on Friday, and check out single on Sunday! The Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs has paired with Netherlands-based company, DivorceHotel, and is now officially catering to the needs of those looking for a vacation and a divorce all at the same time.