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In cases where even a succession of stiff prison sentences has failed to bring about compliance with court orders, what is a judge to do? A family judge faced exactly that quandary in the case of a father who defiantly refused to cooperate in arranging the...
In rare and exceptional cases, family courts have to intervene to protect the welfare of children even before they are brought into the world. A judge did just that in the case of a baby boy who was at high risk of being born HIV positive . The boy's...
Couples who enter into a pre-nuptial agreement (PNA) with their eyes wide open can expect to be bound by its terms. However, as the outcome of a 'big money' divorce case made plain , judges have the power to effectively rewrite them if they fail to make...
You might think that the making of a care order implies blame on the part of a child's parents. However, as a family judge's ruling in the case of a tragedy-struck 14-year-old girl made plain , you would certainly be wrong about that. The girl was brought...
It is quite common for divorcees to claim that they have been placed under undue pressure to strike an unfavourable financial deal. In a big money case, however, a judge ruled that a wife was no lamb to the slaughter but voluntarily signed up to a...
The fathers of those who are given up for adoption as babies are often not identified on their birth certificates and that can be a painful barrier to their formation of cultural and family identities in later life. As a High Court ruling showed, however,...
When spouses each make valuable contributions to a long marriage, the general rule is that marital assets should be divided equally in the event of divorce. As an unusual High Court ruling concerning the validity of a French marriage contract showed,...
Delays in surrogacy treatment in England may be long but, as a High Court ruling showed , those who look abroad to fulfil their desire for parenthood may well be placing their own and their children's legal status at risk. The case concerned a same-sex...
Some couples have second thoughts in the midst of divorce proceedings and get back together. However, in a unique decision, the High Court has ruled that the resumption of a toxic relationship does not amount to marital reconciliation . The case concerned...
The outcome of international child abduction disputes very often depends on a single issue – where is the child concerned habitually resident? That was certainly so in the case of a toddler with an English-born mother and an Israeli father . The...
