Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Maryland Does Away With Limited Divorce, Establishes Grounds For Absolute Divorce
Prior to October 2023, Maryland permitted two types of divorce: limited and absolute. An absolute divorce permanently ends a marriage. It terminates property claims and permits the parties to remarry. A limited divorce, on the other hand, did not permanently end the marriage. It was akin to legal separation. The parties could negotiate matters… Read More »
How Is Child Support Calculated In Maryland Based On Income?
Maryland’s Child Support Administration reviews the child support guidelines once every 4 years to ensure the amount of child support paid keeps up with the standard of living in the state. The Child Support Administration conducts research and reports its findings to the General Assembly. The last time this happened was during the 2020… Read More »
Maryland Man Charged With Stalking After Two Teen Girls Reported He Followed Them
A Maryland man has been arrested and charged after two teen girls accused him of stalking them. The 42-year-old man is currently facing charges of stalking, fourth-degree sex offense, and other related charges. He has since been taken into custody. The investigation began in February after the Charles County Sheriff’s Office received a report… Read More »
Study Correlates Risk Of Divorce To Spending A Lot Of Money On Your Wedding
Did you spend a lot of money on your wedding or did you keep things practical and scale back moneywise? A recent study indicates that couples who went all out with spending on their weddings have a greater risk of divorcing later in life than couples who kept it practical. The results of the… Read More »
Common Defense To DUI Charges In Maryland
If you’ve been charged with DUI in the state of Maryland, you may feel hopeless about your prospects of beating the charge. While it’s true that the majority of DUI charges filed in Maryland do result in conviction, often, defendants have defenses available to them that they may not be aware of. In this… Read More »
How Are Pets Treated In A Maryland Divorce?
Washington D.C. recently passed a law allowing family court judges to consider “the best interests of the pet” when adjudicating a divorce case. This is the same standard that is used for children in all states across the country. While D.C. is in the minority, there is a growing trend across the U.S. to… Read More »
The Best Interests Of The Child Standard Under Maryland Law
Many years ago, the courts would often favor mothers in child custody hearings under the belief that children needed their mothers more than their fathers as they were growing up. The law in all 50 states has evolved from that standard and now employs another: the best interests of the children. In many states,… Read More »
The Intentional Dissipation Of Marital Assets As A Factor In A Maryland Divorce
In some cases, a spouse can be accused of intentionally dissipating marital assets or, in other words, spending money from the marital estate on things that are intentionally wasteful. When this happens, the court can consider the intentional dissipation of marital assets when dividing assets or awarding alimony. If you believe your spouse has… Read More »
How Are Property And Debts Divided During A Maryland Divorce?
One of the key aspects of a Maryland divorce is the division of property and debts that were acquired during the marriage. Maryland is considered an equitable distribution state which means that property is divided between the spouses in a manner that is considered equitable to both parties. That does not necessarily mean that… Read More »
Does Maryland Require Mediation In Divorce?
There are several ways to dissolve a marriage in the state of Maryland. Traditionally, parties litigated their divorces in an adversarial format in which they made arguments before a judge. The judge would render final decisions on key issues such as property division, alimony, child custody, and child support. Today, a backlog of divorce… Read More »
