Title: CANONIC ANKI / BarNex · Family Law
Tags: SILVER family_law

Q: Pension Division and QDRO
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: only the portion of the pension earned during marriage is marital (use the coverture/time-rule fraction), and a QDRO is the exclusive mechanism to reach ERISA plan benefits — a divorce decree alone does not bind the plan administrator. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (pension division / QDRO under ERISA).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-09

Q: Child custody and the UCCJEA
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Run the UCCJEA HOME-STATE test first (6 months); the decree state retains exclusive continuing jurisdiction. Standard is best interests of the child. Authority: UCCJEA (2026); UMDA § 402.
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-05

Q: Transmutation of Separate Property
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The dispositive issue: commingling separate funds into a joint account, or titling separate property in both names, can transmute it to marital property, and the burden is on the spouse claiming separate character to trace and rebut the marital presumption. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (property classification).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-06

Q: Marriage — ceremonial, common law, and impediments
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Distinguish void (challengeable by anyone, anytime — bigamy/incest) from voidable (party-only, ratifiable — nonage/fraud/duress). Authority: Uniform Marriage and Divorce Act (UMDA) §§ 207-208 (1973).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-01

Q: Common Law Marriage Elements
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: mere cohabitation plus long duration is insufficient — a present intent/agreement to be married now (not in the future) is essential, and a valid common-law marriage formed in a recognizing state is honored everywhere under full faith and credit. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (common law marriage).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-02

Q: Separation Agreement Enforceability
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The dispositive distinction: property and maintenance terms bind the court unless unconscionable, but parents cannot contract away the child's right to support or bind the court on custody — those provisions are reviewable and modifiable for the child's best interests. Authority: UMDA Section 306.
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-21

Q: Covenant Marriage
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The point tested: covenant marriage is an opt-in regime that restricts the otherwise available no-fault divorce, requiring proof of specified fault grounds (adultery, felony, abandonment, abuse) or a statutorily mandated separation period before dissolution. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (covenant marriage).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-05

Q: Best-Interests-of-the-Child Standard
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: race may not be a controlling factor (Palmore v. Sidoti, 466 U.S. 429 (1984)), conduct not affecting the parent-child relationship is irrelevant, and the tender-years presumption has been largely abandoned as gender discrimination in favor of gender-neutral best-interests analysis. Authority: UMDA Section 402.
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-22

Q: Divorce — no-fault, grounds, and defenses
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Ex parte divorce (petitioner domicile) earns FF&C for STATUS only; support + property need personal jurisdiction over the respondent. Authority: UMDA §§ 302-305 (1973).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-02

Q: Modification/Termination of Maintenance
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: remarriage of the recipient terminates maintenance automatically by operation of law, but mere cohabitation generally does not unless a statute or decree so provides; lump-sum and property-based awards are NOT modifiable. Authority: UMDA Section 316.
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-11

Q: Domestic Violence Protective Orders
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: an ex parte order satisfies due process only if a prompt adversarial hearing follows; valid protective orders must be enforced across state lines, and a documented history of abuse is a mandatory factor weighing against awarding custody to the abuser. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (domestic violence / protective orders, VAWA full faith and credit).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-20

Q: Termination of Parental Rights — Burden
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The constitutional anchor: due process requires the clear-and-convincing-evidence standard for termination — a mere preponderance is insufficient given the fundamental nature of the parent-child relationship at stake. Authority: Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745 (1982).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-17

Q: Fraud as Ground for Annulment
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: the fraud must concern the 'essentials' — typically sexual relations, ability/intent to have children, or religion central to the marriage; lying about love, money, or past conduct is not enough, and cohabitation after discovery ratifies the marriage. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (annulment for fraud).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-04

Q: Professional Degree or License in Distribution
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The split trap: most states refuse to treat a degree as divisible property; New York stood alone as the minority under O'Brien v. O'Brien (treating an enhanced-earnings license as marital property) until its 2015 maintenance reforms ended that treatment. Even where a degree is not property, courts may grant reimbursement alimony to the supporting spouse who financed the education. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (degree/license as property).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-07

Q: Premarital agreements — enforceability
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Premarital agreements cannot bind the court on child custody/support; enforceability turns on voluntariness + fair disclosure + not unconscionable. Authority: Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (UPAA) § 6 (1983).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-06

Q: Marital Presumption of Paternity
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: a state may constitutionally bar a biological father from rebutting the marital presumption to protect the marital family unit, and the husband may be estopped from denying paternity after holding the child out as his own. Authority: Michael H. v. Gerald D., 491 U.S. 110 (1989).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-15

Q: Spousal and child support
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Child support is the CHILD's right — parents cannot waive it; arrearages are not retroactively modifiable. Interstate enforcement via UIFSA. Authority: UMDA §§ 309-316 (1973).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-04

Q: Post-Majority and College Support
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The split tested: a minority of states authorize courts to compel college contributions from divorced parents, while others bar it as exceeding the support duty owed by married parents; support also continues past majority for a child who is disabled and dependent. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (post-majority / college support).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-14

Q: Modification of Child Support
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The dispositive trap: arrearages that have already accrued become vested judgments protected by full faith and credit and cannot be retroactively reduced or forgiven by a court — only future obligations are modifiable from the date of the petition. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (child support modification / vested arrears).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-12

Q: Putative Spouse Doctrine
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: good faith is the dispositive element — protection survives only until the putative spouse learns of the impediment, and ends at that point. A putative spouse may share in property acquired in good faith even where no valid marriage ever existed. Authority: UMDA Section 209.
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-01

Q: Relocation by Custodial Parent
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The exam point: courts balance the custodial parent's reason for moving, the relationship with the non-custodial parent, and the child's interests; many states require notice and shift the burden depending on whether the relocating parent is the primary custodian. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (relocation).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-19

Q: Types of Spousal Maintenance
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The exam anchor: maintenance is available only where the seeking spouse lacks sufficient property and cannot self-support through employment; the modern trend favors limited-duration rehabilitative awards over permanent alimony, with factors including marriage duration, standard of living, and contributions. Authority: UMDA Section 308.
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-10

Q: Unwed Biological Father's Rights
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The dispositive rule: biology alone gives an unwed father only an opportunity interest; failure to come forward, support the mother, and assume parental responsibility forfeits the right to veto an adoption or block termination. Authority: Lehr v. Robertson, 463 U.S. 248 (1983).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-16

Q: Grandparent Visitation
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: a fit parent's decision regarding visitation is presumed to serve the child's best interest, and a non-parent seeking visitation must overcome that presumption — courts may not apply a pure best-interests standard that gives no deference to the parent. Authority: Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-18

Q: Property division — equitable distribution vs community property
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Only MARITAL property is divided; separate property can transmute via commingling. Equitable = fair, not necessarily equal. Authority: UMDA § 307 (1973).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-03

Q: Parentage, adoption, and termination of rights
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
Termination of parental rights requires CLEAR AND CONVINCING evidence as a matter of due process. Authority: Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745 (1982).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-fam-07

Q: UIFSA Continuing Exclusive Jurisdiction
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The trap: a second state may enforce but may NOT modify a support order while the issuing state retains continuing exclusive jurisdiction; jurisdiction to modify shifts only when all parties leave the issuing state or consent in writing. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (UIFSA / one-order rule).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-13

Q: Goodwill in Business Valuation
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The distinction tested: enterprise goodwill that survives the owner's departure is divisible marital property, while personal goodwill that walks out the door with the professional is generally not divisible because dividing it double-counts future earnings used for support. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (goodwill valuation).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-08

Q: Annulment: Void vs. Voidable Marriages
A: Diane Kohler, Esq.
The dispositive distinction: only a party may attack a voidable marriage and only during the lives of both spouses, and ratification/cohabitation after discovering the defect bars annulment; a void marriage needs no decree and can be raised collaterally. Authority: NCBE MEE Family Law outline (annulment).
Thread: @atty_diane_kohler · Contributors: @atty_diane_kohler · Origin: https://onconex.ai/onconex/barnex/community/barnex-x-fl-03