Category Archives: Pop Quiz

Adventures in Community Property Breaking News – Clayton v. Wilson (2010)

January 29, 2010 – 10:33 am

In two previous pop quizzes, we discussed previous Washington court decisions regarding community property and community liability for torts committed by one spouse.  To recap:  Washington is a community property state, which generally means that all property that a couple acquires during their marriage is considered to be jointly owned by both spouses, and…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By liz | Tagged community property, Divorce, Pop Quiz, separate property, spouses, torts | Comments Off

Pop Quiz: The Contemptuous Mother, The Absent Father, and the Problem Child

November 3, 2009 – 3:03 pm

This quiz examines some of the considerations that a court addresses when determining whether to make significant changes to a Parenting Plan, such as by ordering that a child move from living primarily with one parent to the other.

In Washington custody cases, the court’s top priority is promoting a child’s “best interests.”   Another lesser, but still important…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By liz | Tagged contempt, modification, parenting plan. | Comments Off

Adventures in Community Property, Part Two: The Wasted Hostage Taker and the Amorous Yachtsman

October 1, 2009 – 11:24 am

This is the second part of our two part quiz on community property and a spouse’s liability for injuries caused by his or her spouse to another individual.  In the first part of this quiz, we looked at how a court determines whether or not the community should be liable for a tort (i.e., civil wrongdoing) committed by…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By liz | Comments Off

Adventures in Community Property, Part One: The Road Warrior and the Pedophile

September 23, 2009 – 2:39 pm

Last week we discussed whether or not a spouse can be criminally liable for damaging his community owned property.  We’re continuing on the theme of community property with this two-part pop quiz. Today we ask if community property (that is, property jointly owned by spouses) can be collected by a victim in cases where one spouse has…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By liz | Comments (2)

Is it a Crime to Damage Community Property?

September 16, 2009 – 10:55 am

As we discussed in a previous article, Washington is a community property state.  This means that, in this state, most property that a couple acquires during their marriage is considered to be the property of both spouses.  So any given piece of property, from a car to a condo, that a married person buys is generally considered to…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By liz | Comments (1)

Who’s the Daddy?

September 10, 2009 – 11:40 am

The case of “JMK”

This pop quiz involves a particularly interesting, and occasionally absurd issue in family law – the question of how the courts determine exactly who is the parent of a child.*  This probably seems like a simple issue to resolve, especially now that a DNA test can determine genetic relationship with virtual certainty.

However, the…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By liz | Comments Off

The Case Of The Delayed Dad

June 17, 2009 – 10:49 am

This pop quiz involves a 2002 law which imposes a statute of limitations of two years for challenging another man’s claim of paternity. The main purpose of the law is to encourage stability for children by ensuring that the question of paternity for children is generally decided within two years of the child’s birth.…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By topher | Tagged parentage, Paternity, statute of limitations | Comments Off

Pop Quiz – Judges On The Verge

March 9, 2009 – 8:22 am

Pop Quiz is an ongoing series about cases from the Washington State Court of Appeals and the Washington Supreme Court.  Each post includes some facts about a specific case, then invites you to guess which of the four choices best describes the court’s ruling.

This is a divorce case involving a property settlement and a Judge who waxed eloquent about…

  • Share/Bookmark

Read More »

By topher | Tagged Divorce, marital misconduct, property settlement | Comments Off