VA Family Law Resources

Attorney Resources

0890071 Adoption - Colin Q. Chappell v. City of Newport News Department of Social Services 11/06/2007
Summary affirmance - Trial court did not err in changing goal of foster care plan for appellant's child from return to parent/placement with relatives to adoption where evidence showed that was in child's best interests
2223064 Antenuptial Agreement - Chester E. Miller v. Linda S. Miller 09/11/2007
No error in trial court's findings that parties failed to effectively revoke their antenuptial agreement, in accepting parol evidence on the intention of the parties, in holding that agreement dealt only with pre-marital assets of the parties, and in awarding spousal support to wife
0442073 Divorce Spousal Support - David G. Batten v. Joan M. Batten 09/04/2007
Summary affirmance - No error in trial court's denial of appellant's request for permanent spousal support and attorney's fees in this divorce action - disparity of income
0766064 Divorce Decree - Jeffrey Michael Fadness v. Lynette Thompson Fadness 09/04/2007
As decree appealed from is neither a final order nor an interlocutory order that adjudicates the principles of the cause, this Court is without jurisdiction to entertain appeal and it is dismissed
0010072 Child Abuse - Joseph B. Hersey, Sr. v. New Kent Department of Social Services 08/28/2007
Summary affirmance - no error in trial court's finding that appellant's son was abused and neglected as defined in Code § 16.1-228
0034072 Child Neglect - Shawna Marie West v. New Kent Department of Social Services 08/28/2007
Summary affirmance - no error in trial court's finding that appellant's son was abused and neglected as defined in Code § 16.1-228
1684064 Yuri Isidoro Sasson Moscona v. Dana Shenhar 08/21/2007
Court finds that appellant cannot seek relief from same judicial system whose authority he evades; appeal dismissed
0387074 Protective Order - Maureen Blake v. Victor Blake 08/14/2007
Summary affirmance - no error in trial court's order denying appellant's petition for a protective order against appellee
1086072 Child Neglect - Jacqueline Reynolds v. Anthony Conyers, Jr., Commissioner Virginia Department of Social Services 08/14/2007
Summary affirmance - circuit court's decision upholding a Child Protective Services founded disposition of level one physical neglect and inadequate supervision is affirmed
0503074 Louis John Swallow, Jr. v. Urbieta A. Swallow 08/07/2007
Summary affirmance - trial court did not err in imputing income to appellant; the remaining issues are procedurally barred
2876064 Jean-Pierre Garnier v. Catherine C. Garnier 06/19/2007
Summary affirmance – trial court did not err in entering a judgment against appellant
2227063  Tonya Ann Hayton (Trivett) v. David Michael Hayton 06/05/2007
Appeal dismissed; as no final order was entered by the trial court in this case, this Court is without jurisdiction to entertain this appeal
0723062 Susanna B. Hickman v. Margaret Cuthbert Broaddus 05/15/2007
As Court finds that interlocutory order appealed from in this case was not an appealable order, this appeal is dismissed without prejudice
1040063 Divorce Decree - Dennis Lee Strausbaugh v. Brenda Britt Strausbaugh, n/k/a Brenda Britt Monroe 05/15/2007
Trial court did not err in awarding appellee half of the marital share of appellant's pension pursuant to terms of parties' final decree of divorce;
1263063 Domestic Assault - John Kurt Sensabaugh v. Commonwealth 05/15/2007
Finding that evidence was not sufficient to prove two or more prior convictions occuring on different days, conviction of domestic assault and battery third or subsequent offense is reversed and case remanded to trial court for resentencing on misdemeanor conviction
2115064 Julia M. Greenway v. John B. Greenway 05/15/2007
As appellant's opening brief fails to comply with Rule 5A:20(d)(no statment of facts relating to questions presented), this appeal is dismissed
2192062 Babette C. Whitney v. Christopher J.R. Whitney 05/15/2007
Trial court erred in refusing to grant post-judgment interest on monetary payments due appellant, postponing accural of interest for ninety days and in refusing appellee to reimburse appellant for expenses incurred in compiling exhibit; did not err in refusing to award appellant reimbusement for expenses not covered by Agreement or in crediting mortgage payments
0983062 Harry D. Campbell v. Betty J. Campbell 04/10/2007
Trial court abused its discretion by preventing husband from cross-examining wife’s witnesses due to the time limits it imposed; judgment is reversed and the case is remanded to the trial court
1169061 Divorce Decree - Renee Smith v. Alexander Novak 04/03/2007
Judgment affirmed as appellant made no objection to the final decree and did not present the issues she raises on appeal before being barred by Rule 1:1
1172064 Diana H. Becker v. Frank J. Becker 04/03/2007
Trial court did not err in failing to award appellant any portion of appellee’s deferred compensation or in its decision to reimburse appellee for the full amount of the mortgage payments; judgment affirmed and matter remanded to the trial court
2551062 Victor Alan Motley, Sr. v. Charlene Byrd Motley 04/03/2007
Summary affirmance – this Court summarily affirms the trial court’s decision in part and dismisses the appeal in part due to appellant’s failure to comply with certain Rules of Court
0668064 Frederick C. Klein v. Karen N.E. Klein 03/27/2007
Appeal dismissed for failure to comply with the provisions of Rule 5A:20; case remanded to trial court to determine and enter an appropriate award of appellate attorneys’ fees and costs in favor of wife
0512064 Thomas Shoemaker v. Mary Ann Karau 03/27/2007
Trial court did not err in its interpretation of Code Section 20-124.3:1; trial court’s admission of the challenged portions of appellee’s evidence relating to the therapists and the child was harmless error; judgment affirmed
2116063 Daniel Gayle Price v. Cornetta Richardson Price 03/06/2007
Appeal dismissed for lack of jurisdiction as the notice of appeal was not timely filed
060554 Divorce & Child Custody - Switzer v. Switzer 03/02/2007
The Court of Appeals abused its discretion in summarily dismissing divorce and custody appeals brought of right by an indigent pro se litigant based on its prior order barring him from filing future appeals until he paid a $500 judgment entered against him pursuant to Code § 8.01-271.1 as a sanction for filing a frivolous appeal in another custody case involving his son. The order was not narrowly tailored to correct the problem of frivolous filings, and summary dismissal was an unduly severe sanction depriving him of the statutory right to consideration of the appeals. The judgments are reversed and the cases are remanded.
3158054 Cohabitation/Marriage - Joseph Anthony Stroud v. Debra Lyn Stroud 02/27/2007
Trial court did not err in permitting the introduction of evidence concerning the negotiations before execution of the PSA, but erred in finding that appellant had not established appellee’s cohabitation by a preponderance of the evidence and that, under PSA, individuals of the same sex cannot cohabitate in a situation analogous to marriage in VA; judgment reversed and remanded to trial court
0139061 Adoption - Ronald McCallum v. Gilberto Salazar, Jr., and Kathleen Joanne Salazar 11/07/2006
Trial court erred in dismissing appellant’s amended petition to vacate an adoption order on the ground that Code Section 63.2-1216 barred claims filed more than six months after discovery of the alleged fraud; judgment reversed and case remanded to the trial court

Divorce Decree - Frederick Eugene Recker, Jr. v. Peggy H. Recker 05/09/2006
This Court holds the trial court correctly interpreted the final decree that divided appellant’s civil service pension; judgment of the trial court is affirmed

Marital Agreement - Mansur Rahnema v. Shahla Rahnema 02/14/2006
No reversible error found in the trial court’s enforcement of a marital agreement between the parties as appellant’s evidence failed to prove bigamy