Law Commons^™

Ohio's Love-Hate Relationship With Marital Agreements: Why Ohio Should Lift Its Prohibition On Postnuptial Agreements, Natasha Wasil

Cleveland State Law Review

Ohio has been accepting of prenuptial agreements since its landmark decision in Gross v. Gross in 1984, declaring them to be not void per se as being against public policy. Unfortunately, Ohio’s evolution of the law regarding marital agreements has remained at a stand-still since Gross. Through the twenty-first century, a majority of states have responded to the evolution of marriage by enacting legislation, or judicially by court order, to allow spouses to enter into contracts after marriage to allocate the division of property and legal obligations of the couple in the event of divorce, commonly known as “postnuptial …

The Right To Unmarry: A Proposal, Brian L. Frye, Maybell Romero

Cleveland State Law Review

When I say I’m in love, you better believe I’m in love, L-U-V.

[April 2, 2020] BLF: This is a marriage proposal in the form of a law review article. In this Article, I observe that Maybell Romero and I are in love. I want to marry her, and I believe she wants to marry me. At least I’ll find out pretty soon. But we cannot marry each other right now, because we are both currently married to other people. Maybell and I want to end our existing marriages, and our respective spouses have even agreed to divorce. But the …

The Empirics Of Child Custody, Margaret Ryznar

Cleveland State Law Review

Child custody issues are as American as apple pie, with only a quarter of children seeing their parents married until the end. The legal standard for custody is the best interests of the child, but the greyness of this inquiry allows courts to make difficult judgments. In family law, such discretionary standards govern factually diverse cases and make it difficult to draw conclusions from individual cases. This Article offers an objective measurement in family law by empirically examining a sample of Indiana divorce cases filed during three months in 2008 that involved children. The resulting analysis of child custody and …

Simplifying And Rationalizing The Federal Income Tax Law Applicable To Transfers In Divorce, Deborah A. Geier

Law Faculty Articles and Essays

This 2002 article explores the tax consequences of transfers in divorce and suggests how the tax consequences can be both simplified and rationalized. This article was written as an "Academic Adviser" to the Joint Committee on Taxation in connection with a study mandated by Congress on the overall state of the Federal tax system (June 2000 through April 2001) and was first published at JOINT COMMITTEE ON TAXATION, STUDY OF THE OVERALL STATE OF THE FEDERAL TAX SYSTEM AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SIMPLIFICATION JCS-3-01, VOLUME III (ACADEMIC PAPERS), April, 2001, at 19.

Refusal To Have Children As A Ground For Divorce Or Annulment, Marvin M. Moore

Cleveland State Law Review

When a husband and wife agree to practice birth control no legal problems are normally created. In England and now in all American jurisdictions the use of contraceptive devices and techniques is perfectly lawful, and only three states impose restrictions on voluntary sterilization. In fact, there is considerable evidence that our society not only permits birth control but considers it highly desirable. However, a different situation is presented when contraception is practiced by one spouse against the will of the other. The offending spouse remains free of criminal liability, but he may be vulnerable to some form of marital legal …

Habitual Drunkenness Affecting Family Relations, James J. Mcgarry

Cleveland State Law Review

Most jurisdictions recognize habitual drunkenness either as an independent ground for divorce or consider it as a factor in determining some other wrong. An examination of the cited cases indicates that the drunkenness complained of must produce some adverse effect upon the family, either of a mental, physical, or economic nature. The courts, in guarding the marital institution, will not permit a divorce where the complainant has condoned the actions of the defendant, connived to bring about the ground for dissolution of the marriage, or where there is premarital knowledge of the intemperance.

Habitual Drunkenness Affecting Family Relations, James J. Mcgarry

Cleveland State Law Review

Most jurisdictions recognize habitual drunkenness either as an independent ground for divorce or consider it as a factor in determining some other wrong. An examination of the cited cases indicates that the drunkenness complained of must produce some adverse effect upon the family, either of a mental, physical, or economic nature. The courts, in guarding the marital institution, will not permit a divorce where the complainant has condoned the actions of the defendant, connived to bring about the ground for dissolution of the marriage, or where there is premarital knowledge of the intemperance.

Practical Aspects Of Ohio Divorce Proceedings, Anthony R. Fiorette

Cleveland State Law Review

In its enforcement, the lawyer, as an officer of the court, occupies a top position of responsibility. The opportunity to deter, and perhaps prevent, the ultimate dissolution of the family comes first to him, and carries with it, a challenge to his patience, tolerance and particularly to his concept of social service. When pursuit of divorce and consequent family disorganization appears unavoidable, counsel is accorded a further opportunity to minimize expenses, avoid scandal and bitterness, and to plan the future welfare of the minor children and the estranged spouses. In performing this task he seeks to evaluate how the court …

Tort Actions Between Husband And Wife, Catherine H. Hotes

Cleveland State Law Review

In the majority of states, the Married Women's Acts or Emancipation Acts statutes have no express provision with respect to personal tort actions between spouses. Instead, they provide in general language that married women may sue separately for torts committed against them and that they may sue and be sued as though they were unmarried. In most of these states, however, the courts have held that such statutes do not abrogate the common law rule of spousal immunity.

Therapeutic Approach To Divorce Proceedings, Marcus G. Raskin, Sanford N. Katz

Cleveland State Law Review

The concept of fault -the placing of blame on one party- has no place in the therapeutic approach to divorce cases. If we consider the concept of fault in a different sense, namely, misconduct contributing to the disruption of the marital relation, then the concept becomes workable. The marriage counselor's primary function is not to determine which party's misconduct has caused the discord. The therapeutic approach is based on a relational misconduct. That is, it applies when both parties are responsible for the breakup. The aim of the therapeutic approach is not to "reward the innocent and punish the guilty." …

Continuing Jurisdiction In Divorce Cases, Otto Miller Iii

Cleveland State Law Review

This paper discusses whether or not a divorce court, by granting a continuing order for support and/or alimony, thereby retains such jurisdiction over the person that it need only give notice by mail or publication before reducing an arrearage to a lump sum judgment which, under "due process" is entitled to full faith and credit in the courts of sister States. It is assumed that the court had jurisdiction over the person of the defendant at the time the order for support and/or alimony was originally granted.

Random Thoughts On Marriage And Divorce, Samuel H. Silbert

Cleveland State Law Review

Marriage and divorce give rise to our most perplexing legal difficulties. This is partly due to social considerations. A primary cause, however, can be found in the States' Rights Doctrine as a consequence of which there has been constant confusion and a lack of uniformity in our laws. Our various states differ on when people may marry; whom they may marry; the ages at which they may marry; the residence requirements for divorce and the grounds for divorce. Thus, despite the Full Faith and Credit Clause in the United States Constitution, the decrees obtained in one state are not necessarily …

The Equitable Theory Of Injunction In Domestic Relations, Moss H. Thompson

Cleveland State Law Review

Adequate protection in the nature of injunctive relief has been extended to all branches of the law where there is a primary property right to be protected. Despite the rapid development in the field of equitable relief it has always been considered extraneous to actions in domestic relations. The majority of the courts will not protect marital and domestic rights from third party intervention because such action involves a personal right rather than a necessary property right. There is adequate reason for a change in this precept which delegates personality to such an insecure position. Only a limited number of …