Law Commons^™

In Re Parental Rights As To M.F., 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 19 (Mar. 31, 2016), Shannon Diaz

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held that neither the United States Constitution nor the Nevada Constitution guarantees the right to a trial by jury in a termination of parental rights proceeding. The Court also concluded that the district court relied on substantial evidence in terminating appellant Jesus F.’s parental rights.

Micone V. Micone, 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 14 (March 3, 2016), Ronni Boskovich

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court considered an appeal from a district court order modifying a child custody decree. The Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the Eight Judicial District Court’s order. The Court affirmed the District Court’s order barring modification of certain child support arrearages. The Court reversed the District Court’s award of primary physical custody to the child’s nonparty grandparents.

Biology, Genetics, Nurture, And The Law: The Expansion Of The Legal Definition Of Family To Include Three Or More Parents, Myrisha S. Lewis

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Manuela H. V. The Eight Judicial District Court Of Nevada, In And For The County Of Clark; And The Honorable Robert Teuton And The State Of Nevada, 132 Nev., Adv. Op. 1 (Jan 7, 2016), Audra Powell

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The court held that in an abuse and neglect case, when the district court establishes a case plan which includes an action step not related to a specific allegation in the abuse and neglect petition, the court must make “specific factual findings that justify the action step with which the parent must comply.” In the present case, the district court did not make such findings as to its requirement that petitioner, Manuela H., submit to drug testing, thus the supreme court granted her petition for a writ of mandamus challenging the district court’s order.

Anderson V. Sanchez 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 34 (Apr. 28 2016), Cassandra Ramey

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Supreme Court of Nevada held that the doctrine of mutual mistake is not grounds for rescission of a contract when the party bears the risk of mistake. The party bears the risk of mistake if the party is aware at the time of the formation of the contract that they only have limited knowledge of the facts to which the mistake relates, but treats that knowledge as sufficient, the court will allocate the risk of mistake to that party.

Is Gay The New Asian?: Marriage Equality And The Dawn Of A New Model Minority, Stewart Chang

Scholarly Works

In this Article, Professor Chang analyzes the historic role of family in the politics of exclusion in the United States, evaluates the ways in which the stereotyping of Asian Americans as a model minority has perpetuated these politics, and warns against the possibility of a similar fate for gay and lesbian Americans. As a model minority, Asian Americans have been set as a standard against which other minority groups, particularly African Americans, are measured. Around the same time Asians were being extolled for their hard work and family values, Congress released the Moynihan report on the problem of broken families …

Schofield V. State, 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 26 (Apr. 21, 2016), Kristian Kaskla

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) Nevada’s first-degree kidnapping statute NRS 200.310(1)'s "intent to keep" language is ambiguous; (2) NRS 200.310(1) requires proof that the accused intended to keep the minor for a protracted period of time or permanently; and (3) reversal is warranted because there is insufficient evidence to support appellant's first-degree kidnapping conviction under the proper legal standard.

Griffith V. Gonzales-Alpizar, 132 Nev. Adv. Op. 38 (May 26, 2016), Michael Hua

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held that under NRS 125.040, a district court has the power to grant attorney fees pendente lite for appeals in divorce actions.

From Victims To Litigants, Elizabeth L. Macdowell

Scholarly Works

This Article reports findings from an ethnographic study of self-help programs in two western states. The study investigated how self-help assistance provided by partnerships between courts and nongovernmental organizations implicates advocacy and access to justice for domestic violence survivors. The primary finding is that self-help programs may inadvertently work to curtail, rather than expand, advocacy resources. Furthermore, problems identified with self-help service delivery and negative impacts on advocacy systems may be explained by the structure of work within self-help programs and the nature of partnerships to provide self-help services. The Author uncovers previously unseen impacts of self-help programs on survivors …

Subsidized Egg Freezing In Employment: Autonomy, Coercion, Or Discrimination?, Ann C. Mcginley

Scholarly Works

In 2014, Apple and Facebook announced that they would provide up to $20,000 for female employees to freeze their eggs as an employment benefit. These announcements raised mixed reviews. Some applauded the decision because they believe that egg freezing may offer to women more control over their reproductive choices. Others argued that the new benefit sends the wrong message to women and that encouraging good parenting by giving better parental leave and child care policies would be more beneficial to families. Others were concerned that this “benefit” applies only to professional or managerial-class women, but may not be helpful to …

In Re Guardianship Of Hailu, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 89 (Nov. 16, 2015), Adrienne Brantley

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that under NRS § 451.007 (the Uniform Determination of Death Act) the District court failed to consider whether the American Association of Neurology (AAN) guidelines adequately measure all functions of the entire brain and whether the guidelines are considered accepted medical standards by states that have adopted the Act.

In Re Guardianship Of N.M., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 75 (September 24, 2015), Daniel Ormsby

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court heard an appeal from a parent-appellant challenging a district court’s exercise of temporary emergency jurisdiction to appoint a temporary, non-parent, guardian and general, non-parent, guardian. Affirmed.

Joanna T. V. Nevada, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 77 (Sep 24, 2015), Audra Powell

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The court considered whether NRCP 4(i)’s 120 day requirement for service of a summons applied to cases filed under NRS § 432B, for protection of children from neglect and abuse. The court held that the 120 day requirement does not apply to cases filed under 432B and denied the petition for a writ of mandamus to order the juvenile court to dismiss an abuse-and-neglect petition on that premise.

In Re Parental Rights As To A.P.M., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 66 (Sept. 10, 2015), Douglas H. Smith

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

On appeal from an order for termination of parental rights, the Nevada Supreme Court held, by a vote of 4-2, that (1) the district court may terminate parental rights notwithstanding a completed case plan for reunification if the decision is otherwise warranted under NRS §128.105; that (2) the court need not wait a full 20 months to apply the statutory presumptions of NRS §128.109(1)(a) and NRS §128.109(2) if a child has been removed from his or her parents’ home pursuant to Chapter 32B for at least 14 months of any consecutive 20-month period; and that (3) upon application of these …

No Money, No Lawyer — No Children: The Right To Counsel For Indigent Defendants In Nevada Termination Of Parental Rights Proceedings, Erik J. Foley

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Summary Of Beau Davis V. Andrea Ewalefo, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 45 (July 02, 2015), Daven Cameron

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

On appeal from a child custody decree, the Court found the District Court did not have specific findings of fact to support the restriction of travel and visitation outside of the United States and its territories. The Court granted en banc reconsideration, reversed and remanded the case for further fact finding considerations concerning whether the minor child can safely travel overseas for parental visitation.

Summary Of Jennifer L. V. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 30 (Jun. 04, 2015), Jaymes Orr

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held that, although a legal guardianship had been established, and a parent had neither legal nor physical custody of a child, parents are not relived of their parental duties to provide for the care, support, or maintenance of the child.

Summary Of Bluestein V. Bluestein, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 14 (Mar. 26, 2015), Ashleigh Wise

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held a district court has the authority to review and modify a custodial agreement once either party makes a modification request. When modifying a custodial agreement, however, the district court must primarily look for the child’s best interest.

Summary Of Bluestein V. Bluestein, 131 Nev. Adv. Op. 14 (Mar. 26, 2015), Ashleigh Wise

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court held a district court has the authority to review and modify a custodial agreement once either party makes a modification request. When modifying a custodial agreement, however, the district court must primarily look for the child’s best interest.

Civil Protection Orders: Increased Access And Narrowed Enforcement, Courtney Cross

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Separated At Adoption: Addressing The Challenges Of Maintaining Sibling-Of-Origin Bonds In Post-Adoption Families, Rebecca L. Scharf

Scholarly Works

This Article explores the ways children, many of whom are in foster care, are psychologically harmed by the law’s failure to ensure that the bonds they have with their siblings-of-origin are not permanently broken when one of the siblings is adopted; it therefore proposes ways that courts can better protect children from the psychological harm of having a biological sibling permanently removed from their life. It suggests that what is needed is a framework that allows visitation by biological siblings with whom children have formed attachments without unnecessarily intruding on the fundamental liberty interest of the adoptive parents at issue …

Summary Of In Re Parental Rights As To A.L., 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 91, Stephanie Bedker

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) when seeking to maintain parental rights, parents have a right to bring material evidence rebutting a NRS 432B.450 presumption that a child is in need of protection; and (2) that district courts cannot rely on juvenile court findings of intentional abuse to terminate parental rights where such evidence has been improperly excluded.

Summary Of Henson V. Henson, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 79, Sydney Gambee

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined that (1) survivor benefits must be specifically set forth in a divorce decree notwithstanding NRS 286.590, which does not automatically confer survivor benefits and (2) immediate payment of benefits to a former non-employee spouse must be requested by motion, in accordance with California’s approach in In re Marriage of Cornejo.

[1] 916 P.2d 476 (Cal. 1996).

The Case Against Separating The Care From The Caregiver: Reuniting Caregivers' Rights And Children's Rights, Pamela Laufer-Ukeles

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Summary Of Major V. State, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 70, Christian Spaulding

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

In a child abuse case, where a family court has previously imposed an obligation on the defendant for the costs of supporting a child placed in the care of social services, the Supreme Court of Nevada determined the district court has jurisdiction to grant restitution to the State for the cost of such child care but must be offset the restitution amount by the amount of the support obligation imposed by the family court.

Summary Of Doan V. Wilkerson, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 48, Kelsey Bernstein

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined two issues: 1) whether the six-month statute of limitations set forth in NRCP 60(b) applies to a motion for relief from a divorce decree, and (2) under what circumstances a marital asset adjudicated in court but omitted from the final divorce decree may be partitioned through a motion for relief from judgment.

Summary Of Druckman V. Ruscitti, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 50, Allison Vitangeli

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined two issues: (1) the child custody rights of unmarried parents when the father’s paternity has been established pursuant to statute; and (2) whether the district court abused its discretion when it awarded primary physical custody of the child to the mother and granted the mother’s relocation request.

Summary Of Holdaway-Foster V. Brunell, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 51, Brian Vasek

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined whether (1) the Full Faith and Credit for Child Support Orders Act of 1994 applies retroactively, and (2) Nevada had continuing, exclusive jurisdiction over a 1985 child support order modified in Hawaii.

Summary Of Gonzales-Alpizar V. Griffith, 130 Nev. Adv. Op. 2, Michael Paretti

Nevada Supreme Court Summaries

The Court determined two issues: (1) whether the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) allows for the enforcement of a foreign support order; and (2) whether a foreign support order is enforceable under the doctrine of comity.

Flexible Feminism And Reproductive Justice: An Essay In Honor Of Ann Scales, Lynne Henderson

Scholarly Works

Professor Ann Scales began her distinguished career by taking feminism and reproductive justice seriously. She became a leading feminist voice and influence on a number of topics. In later years, she returned to concerns about reproductive justice by presciently emphasizing the need to preserve women’s access to abortions.

This Essay discusses Professor Scales’s concerns and feminist method and then turns to reproductive justice. The Essay notes that, with Scales, a right to abortion is foundational for reproductive justice. The Essay then examines the increasing narrowing of access to abortion through law. The Essay next examines a current crisis over access …