Archive: 2005

Potential Derr v. Derr Problems

Published: Wednesday, April 20th, 2005

In my March 30 column, I praised the Wisconsin District IV Court of Appeals for their opinion in Derr v. Derr. However, a lesser portion of the opinion might prove problematic.

Derr Decision Helps ‘Cut Through the Haze’

Published: Wednesday, March 30th, 2005

This column has criticized appellate courts from time-to-time for inconsistency in their use of language. Recently, the District IV Court of Appeals used their opinion in Derr v. Derr to clear up years of confusion regarding non-divisible property. The result is a clear, consistent scheme which will undoubtedly serve as the lodestar for trial courts for many years to come.

Decision Addresses Child Support Arrears

Published: Wednesday, February 9th, 2005

Any confusion about Wisconsin law regarding credits for child support arrears might have (finally) been put to rest, thanks to a recent supreme court decision.

2004 Wisconsin Court of Appeals Review

Published: Wednesday, February 2nd, 2005

In a previous article, we looked at the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s significant family law cases from 2004. In this article, I will focus on significant 2004 cases decided by the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

A Look Back at Family Law in 2004

Published: Wednesday, January 26th, 2005

Per tradition, it is time to take a look back at the significant family law cases which were decided during the past year, with either plaudits for the well-reasoned decisions or – forgive me, judges – one last kick at those with which I take issue.

Kenyon Decision Has Two Positive Results

Published: Wednesday, January 5th, 2005

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin recently decided Kenyon v. Kenyon, 2004 WI 147, the first case since Rohde-Giovanni v. Baumgart, 2004 WI 27, 269 Wis. 2d 598, 676 N.W.2d 452 to consider the difficult issue of post-judgment maintenance.