Archives: Child Support

In Rumpff v. Rumpff, the District II Court of Appeals called into question the definition of “equivalent care” and the efficacy of the sharing of “variable expenses” in the state’s child support guidelines.

Note to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals: If shirking is an “unfortunate term,” as you characterized it in your recent family law decision, Chen v. Warner, please stop using it!

The issue of jurisdiction over family court issues became clearer recently when the Supreme Court of Wisconsin issued its opinion in Tammie J.C. v. Robert T.C., 2003 WI 61.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court made its first venture into the complicated issue of the statute of limitations for pursuing child support arrears on May 30, when it decided State v. Hamilton.

Among the most difficult issues in family law is the interplay between the amount of time children spend with each parent and child support. No doubt, the more time a parent has the children, the higher the cost. Yet, where is the “breaking point” where additional time should result in a change in the child support?

In Bonds v. Bonds, the California Supreme Court held that the failure of a spouse to secure independent legal representation during negotiations with the spouse who was promoting entry into a prenuptial agreement does not, per se, invalidate the agreement at the time of divorce.

In Randall v. Randall, when a court applies the shared-time formula for child support, it is also required to order the parties to share the variable costs for the children in the same proportion in which they share the children.

A recent case, decided twice by the court of appeals, raises significant questions about maintenance modification law Wisconsin.

For years now, the legislature has been preoccupied with passing laws to effectively collect child support. These laws have done quite a bit of good and in some cases have been remarkably effective. Yet, in light of the most recent legislation, the question must be asked whether there is a point of diminishing returns.