Take the irreplaceables with you when you leave your spouse

Posted Wednesday, July 12th, 2023 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants

South Carolina does not allow actions for separate maintenance until spouses actually separate.  Thus, when an unhappy spouse who lacks fault grounds for divorce has

Court of Appeals reverses finding of common-law marriage

Posted Thursday, April 20th, 2023 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

In the April 19, 2023, opinion in Sullivan-Carter v. Carter, the Court of Appeals reversed a finding of common-law marriage and vacated the family court’s

I’m a marriage expert

Posted Friday, October 14th, 2022 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to General Public

Porch, liking a blog I did on the occasion of my thirtieth wedding anniversary in 2019, invited me to contribute to a series, Newlyweds and

Court of Appeals reverses finding of common law marriage

Posted Wednesday, August 24th, 2022 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

The August 24, 2022, Court of Appeals opinion in Powell v. Dolin, 437 S.C. 499, 879 S.E.2d 26 (Ct. App. 2022), demonstrates the impact Stone

Honoring my parents’ lifelong marriage

Posted Friday, April 8th, 2022 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Not South Carolina Specific, Of Interest to General Public

Today, April 8, 2022, my parents celebrate 60 years of marriage.  None of their peer from my childhood made it to their 60th anniversary. They

Court of Appeals affirms dismissal of divorce case in which husband did not meet South Carolina residency requirement

Posted Wednesday, January 12th, 2022 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Jurisdiction, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

n.b. On May 4, 2022, the Court of Appeals issued a refiled opinion making a minor addition on the attorney fee award issue: Refiled Hayduk Opinion Makes

Supreme Court reverses Court of Appeals determination that same-sex, common-law marriage could not exist prior to 2014

Posted Thursday, November 11th, 2021 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Of Interest to General Public, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

The November 10, 2021, Supreme Court opinion in Swicegood v. Thompson, 435 S.C. 63, 865 S.E.2d 775 (2021), remedies the obvious error in the Court

Common pitfalls in prenuptial agreements

Posted Thursday, July 23rd, 2020 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Of Interest to General Public, South Carolina Specific

I hate drafting prenuptial agreements, considering them to be malpractice traps. However there are clear procedural and substantive issues that can increase the likelihood of

Court of Appeals determines homosexual couples could not enter common law marriage prior to the Condon case

Posted Wednesday, July 1st, 2020 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

A July 1, 2020, Court of Appeals opinion in Swicegood v. Thompson, 431 S.C. 130, 847 S.E.2d 104 (2020), determined that South Carolina code prohibited

South Carolina Supreme Court uses James Brown’s estate case to clarify validity of subsequent marriage when prior marriage was void

Posted Wednesday, June 24th, 2020 by Gregory Forman
Filed under Divorce and Marriage, Of Interest to Family Court Litigants, Of Interest to Family Law Attorneys, South Carolina Appellate Decisions, South Carolina Specific

The June 17, 2020 South Carolina Supreme Court case of In Re Estate of Brown, 430 S.C. 474, 846 S.E.2d 342 (2020), appears to finally

Put Mr. Forman’s experience, knowledge, and dedication to your service for any of your South Carolina family law needs.