Kentucky v. K., et al.   Pupil Personnel Director, Finke, filed a DNA petition in Family Court alleging five-year-old Child had missed 21.5 days of school, 16 of which were unexcused. Child was enrolled in kindergarten as a five-year-old and the absences occurred before she turned six. Family Court summarily dismissed the petition, finding it...Read More

Blackaby v. Barnes   Child was born to Mother and Father. Maternal Grandmother petitioned Family Court for adoption of Child, to which Mother consented. Father contested the adoption, but he died before completion of Child’s adoption proceedings. On October 23, 2017, Family Court entered a judgment of adoption. Paternal Grandfather petitioned Family Court for grandparent...Read More

Petrie v. Brackett, et al.   After a physical altercation between Father and Son, wherein Father restrained Son so that Son could not continue hitting him, Mother filed a petition for a protective order for Son. At the hearing, the testimony revealed that Son pushed Father several times and then hit him in the chest....Read More

M. v. Allen County Attorney’s Office, et al.   Father appealed Family Court’s dispositional order in a Dependency, Neglect, and Abuse (“DNA”) matter. Father did not name the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (“the Cabinet”) as a party to the appeal. Father failed to respond to the Court of Appeals’ Order requiring him to...Read More

Hoskins v. Elliott, et al.   On February 11, 2017, Mother left her nine-month-old Child with Elliott to babysit for the weekend and until Mother went to scheduled court appearances. For quite some time, Mother did not reappear, and Child became sick. Elliott did not have the legal authority to take Child to the doctor....Read More

Turner v. Hodge, et al.   Child was born in March of 2005 to Murphy and Hodge, who were unmarried. In 2015, Hodge’s paternity was established, and a child support obligation was set on the same day. Turner, until Hodge’s paternity was established, believed that her son, Jeffrey, was Child’s father, and Child lived with...Read More

Lage, et al. v. Esterle   Mother entered a maternity home to give birth, bringing along her two-year-old Twins. A Volunteer at the maternity home and her Husband agreed to care for the Twins while Mother gave birth and recovered. The parties agreed the Twins would stay with Volunteer and Husband for four months, which...Read More

Roper v. Roper  Opinion modified 1/17/2020 On appeal in a dissolution action, Husband argues that Trial Court erred (1) in hearing the case after Husband, Wife, and Children moved to Texas, as it no longer had jurisdiction; (2) in the way it divided the parties’ property; (3) in awarding Wife maintenance; (4) in modifying the...Read More

Brannock v. Brannock   Husband and Wife were divorced, and Family Court incorporated the parties’ marital settlement agreement (“MSA”) into the decree. The MSA provided that Husband would pay Wife $1,000.00 per month in child support. It also provided that the provisions could not be modified unless done so in a writing signed by both...Read More

Tager v. Tager Circuit Court referred disputed issue in a dissolution action, including division of marital assets, to Domestic Relations Commissioner (“DRC”). DRC issued a report finding Husband qualified for military retirement benefits, which the parties stipulated were partially marital. Circuit Court adopted DRC’s report and issued a limited decree of dissolution, which did not...Read More