E.D.M. v. T.A.M., 307 S.C. 471, 476-77, 415 S.E.2d 812, 816 (1992) is the seminal South Carolina case in deciding whether to award a prevailing party attorney’s fees in family court. It lists four factors the family court should use to determine an award of fees. Excepting the “beneficial results” factor, the other three factors […]
Archive for the ‘South Carolina Specific’ Category
Mere exposure to domestic violence can be a basis to change custody or limit visitation
Some of the most tragic consults I have are with folks who’ve been bullied and abused by spouses or domestic partners and have simply accepted the abuse as though they deserved it. The dynamic of such abuse, and why the abused often stay with their abusers, is better understood than it was when I started […]
Bojilov highlights importance of a good record and accurate financial declarations
The September 19, 2018 Court of Appeals opinion in Bojilov v. Bojilov doesn’t establish any novel legal issues but does highlight important recurring issues in South Carolina Family Law. Bojilov stems from a divorce, with the primary issues on appeal being child custody, Husband’s right to travel with the child to Bulgaria, alimony, equitable distribution, […]
For South Carolina spouses seeking alimony, adultery is fatal, attempted murder is not
While driving back from court yesterday I received a telephone call from Buzzfeed asking me about the impact of domestic violence on alimony. The reporter wanted to know whether domestic abusers were more likely to pay alimony. What I informed her about South Carolina alimony had to seem bizarre. The answer to her question about […]
The unfairness of the family court asking litigants if they think their agreement is “fair”
In the South Carolina family court, a standard part of the practice of questioning parties about their agreements before approving said agreements is whether the party believes that agreement is “fair.” If minor children are involved, that process will also include a question about whether the agreement is additionally fair to the parties’ children. Those […]
Hard to win the appeal when you don’t show up for trial
The September 19, 2018 Court of Appeals opinion in Brown v. Odom supports the general proposition that it’s hard to win an appeal when you don’t show up for trial. Brown primarily addresses issues of transmutation and the inclusion in the marital estate of an asset Husband re-deeded to his uncle shortly before Wife filed her […]
Smith case addresses alimony and transmutation issues
While there is nothing surprising in the September 19, 2018 Court of Appeals opinion in Smith v. Smith, the decision addresses some novel issues of alimony and equitable distribution. Smith stems from a divorce action filed by Wife on December 27, 2013. For the previous five years Husband had (admittedly) engaged in a pattern of […]
Does South Carolina divorce law distinguish marijuana use from abuse?
One of South Carolina’s four fault grounds for divorce under S.C. Code §20-3-10 is “Habitual drunkenness; provided, that this ground shall be construed to include habitual drunkenness caused by the use of any narcotic drug.” Hutchinson v. Liberty Life Insurance Co., 393 S.C. 19, 709 S.E.2d 130 (Ct.App. 2011) indicates that marijuana qualifies as a […]