Source: https://ceb.com/california-marital-settlement-and-other-family-law-agreements?utm_source=sm/bl&utm_medium=bl&utm_campaign=FA94510
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 12:35:46+00:00

Document:
Summarized below are some of the more important developments since the 2018 update of this publication. In addition to the noted developments, all statutes, court rules, and Judicial Council forms have been updated as of the cutoff dates.
In May 2018, the California Supreme Court issued an order approving new and amended Rules of Professional Conduct, which became effective on November 1, 2018. Visit the California State Bar website (http:www.calbar.ca.gov) to see the previous and current rules. Citations to the revised rules have been updated throughout this title.
Family Code §3047, which provides deployed service men and women with certain protections in child custody matters, does not alter “best interest of the child” standard used to make all decisions regarding child custody. Marriage of Vargas & Ross (2017) 17 CA5th 1235. See §3.18.
When a family court determines that the evidence is sufficient to rebut the presumption in Fam C §3044 against joint custody after a domestic violence finding, the factors in that section represent a “mandatory checklist” and specific findings must be made on each one. Jaime G. v H.L. (2018) 25 CA5th 794. See §6.3.
A California court is not bound by the Internal Revenue Service’s innocent spouse determination in characterizing a marital tax liability, and may treat the liability as a community debt if such a finding is supported by substantial evidence. Marriage of Marshall (2018) 23 CA5th 477. See §15.15.
A stipulated spousal support order with a reservation of jurisdiction to determine retroactivity provided no motion filing date to which the court could make the order retroactive. Marriage of Mendoza & Cuellar (2017) 14 CA5th 939. See §2.34.
In July 2018, the California Law Revision Commission issued a final recommendation related to the relationship between mediation confidentiality and attorney malpractice and other misconduct. The Commission has approved the substance of the report, but minor editorial changes may be made prior to final publication. The final recommendation calls for the creation of a new exception to mediation confidentiality that is designed to “hold attorneys accountable for misconduct in the mediation process, while also allowing attorneys to effectively rebut meritless misconduct claims.” The recommendation can be seen at http://www.clrc.ca.gov/K402.html. See §2.20A.
On remand, the court in Marriage of Cassinelli (2018) 20 CA5th 1267 found that although spousal support may not be awarded as a remedy for the loss of community property interest in a spouse’s military retirement pay, the trial court may properly modify spousal support, provided it does so based on the relevant factors and not as compensation. See §20.3A.
When the evidence indicates that an unrepresented party to a premarital agreement was not given the 7-day period for review under Fam C §1615(c), boilerplate language in the agreement indicating that the review period was provided is not binding and will not circumvent the statutory requirement. Marriage of Clarke & Akel (2018) 19 CA5th 914. See §§17.12C, 17.48.
A default judgment was properly set aside for mistake of fact under Fam C §2122 when the parties failed to comply with statutory disclosure requirements, despite executing a stipulation stating that they had. Marriage of Binette (2018) 24 CA5th 1119. See §3.13.
Notwithstanding a stipulated court order regarding the designation of a former spouse as a beneficiary, federal preemption permits the holder of a group life insurance policy issued under the Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance Act of 1965 to freely change the beneficiary of a life insurance policy. Marriage of Steiner (2017) 17 CA5th 1165. See §8.22.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 implemented many significant changes for families. Among them are the suspension of personal exemptions, including the dependency exemption, effective for taxable years 2018 through 2025. See IRC §151(d)(5), as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Pub L 115–97, §11041, 131 Stat 2054). See §§6.16, 6.16A, 17.3.
The Act also repealed IRC §§71 and 215, eliminating the tax deduction for the spousal support payor for support paid under a divorce or separation instrument executed after December 31, 2018. See Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Pub L 115–97, §11051, 131 Stat 2054). See §§8.18–8.19.
For implications of the Act on the recapture rule, see §8.18. For implications of the Act on family support, see §8.31.
Carol Amyx. The late Carol Amyx, B.A., 1965, University of California, Berkeley, and J.D., 1975, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, practiced law in Berkeley with a special expertise in nonmarital family cases. She served as a Judge Pro Tem for family law in Alameda County. She was a member of the State Bar Family Law Section, the Alameda County Bar Association, the Alameda County Family Law Association, and the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC). She taught CEB courses in family law litigation, recent developments in family law, and business buy-sell agreements; wrote course materials for CEB; and was a coauthor of a previous edition of this book. Ms. Amyx authored chap 19, was coauthor of chap 4, and reviewed chaps 8 and 9 for currency and accuracy.
Peggy L. Bennington, B.A., 1970, and J.D., 1974, Ohio State University, is a sole practitioner in Mill Valley and is a Certified Family Law Specialist. Her practice is limited to family law litigation, consulting with parties in family law, and mediation. Ms. Bennington has served as chair of the Family Law Section of the Marin County Bar Association. She is also a fellow and past president of the Northern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Ms. Bennington is the author of chap 3.
Sandra Blair, B.A., 1967, University of California, Berkeley; M.A., 1969, University of Wisconsin; J.D., 1973, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, has been a Certified Family Law Specialist since 1981. She has served on the Family Law Advisory Commission to the Board of Legal Specialization, and she is a past President of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. Ms. Blair has served as a Judge Pro Tem for the San Francisco Superior Courts and as an Adjunct Professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She is a member of the Association of Family Conciliation Courts and Mediation Resources, providing legal and psychological resources for alternative dispute resolution. She is a contributing author to Family Law Financial Discovery (Cal CEB) and also contributed to CEB’s now-discontinued title California Domestic Partnerships (Cal CEB). Ms. Blair is the author of chap 1 of this book, and the book’s overall editorial consultant.
C. Rick Chamberlin. The late C. Rick Chamberlin was the original author of chaps 8 and 9 in a prior edition of this book. Mr. Chamberlin, who practiced family law in San Francisco, was chair of the California State Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization, 1991–1992, and worked extensively to expand and publicize the legal specialization program.
Linda A. Chapin, B.A., 1972, Stanford University; J.D., 1975, University of California, Hastings College of the Law; M.S.W., 1995, California State University, Long Beach, is a family law attorney and mediator located in Fullerton. She has served as a director of the Family Law Department for The Mediation Center in Costa Mesa. Ms. Chapin has practiced family law in Orange County since 1978 and was a member of the resident faculty at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton for 6 years. She has taught advanced family mediation techniques and has been an invited panelist on family law and mediation topics. Ms. Chapin is the author of chap 10.
James M. Crawford, Jr., B.A., 1968, University of California, Santa Barbara; J.D., 1971, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, is an ERISA attorney with an extensive QDRO practice. Mr. Crawford regularly counsels employers, trustees, and other plan fiduciaries in all aspects of the installation, administration, termination, and taxation of both qualified and nonqualified employee benefit plans as well as TSA programs. He provides representation and litigation support for benefit claims, IRS audits, and Labor Department investigations. Mr. Crawford also assists individual plan and IRA participants with their benefit distribution and tax planning, including the division of benefits on divorce (QDROs). Mr. Crawford is a frequent speaker on employee benefits matters and has been a guest lecturer at such venues as the State Bar Institute and McGeorge School of Law. He is a coauthor of chaps 11 and 20.
R. Ann Fallon, B.A., 1970, Fordham University; J.D., 1983, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, is a Certified Family Law Specialist and Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She is a partner in the law firm of Whiting, Fallon & Ross in Walnut Creek, which she joined in 1984, and specializes in family law pension issues. Ms. Fallon has authored numerous articles on pension issues, participated in continuing legal education programs, and is a contributing editor to Dividing Pensions and Other Employee Benefits in California Divorces (Cal CEB). She is a coauthor of chaps 11 and 20.
Debra S. Frank, B.A., 1970, Boston University; M.A., 1972, Carnegie Institute of Technology; J.D., 1977, Southwestern University School of Law, is a Certified Family Law Specialist, with a law practice in Los Angeles. She is a member of numerous local bar associations, the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists (ACFLS) and the Southern California Family Law American Inn of Court. She has served in leadership positions including as president of the American Inns of Court Family Law, ACFLS Board member and editor and associate editor of the ACFLS Family Law Specialist, Journal of the California Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, and chair of the family law sections of the Los Angeles County, Century City, and Beverly Hills bar associations. She is a past member of the Executive Committee of the California State Bar Family Law Section and served on the Board of Legal Specialization, Family Law Advisory Commission. She has served as the editor of the Family Law Reference Book for the Family Law Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is a family law mediator for the LACBA Family Law Section, has served as a Judge Pro Tem, and was a Commissioner and Vice Chairperson of the California Law Revision Commission from 1982 to 1983. Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, Ms. Frank was named by Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in Southern California for 2009–2018. Ms. Frank is the author of chap 18.
Gary J. Friedman, B.A., 1966, Brown University; J.D., 1969, Boston University, practices law and mediation with Mediation Law Offices in Mill Valley. He is the author of A Guide to Divorce Mediation (Workman Publishing, 1993) and has conducted training programs in mediation and mediative approaches to the practice of law throughout the United States and Europe. Mr. Friedman is a coauthor of chap 2.
Linda S. Gross, B.A., 1968, Mount Holyoke College; J.D., 1977, University of California, Davis, School of Law; LL.M., 1985, University of San Diego, is a Certified Family Law Specialist and practices law in Santa Monica. She has had her own practice since 1990 and has focused primarily on family law for over two decades, after being a business, corporate, and tax attorney. She was Chairperson of the California State Bar Family Law Section Property Committee (South) from 1986 to 1990. She has published several articles and spoken at seminars, including the State Bar Convention, on family law in general and premarital agreements. She was an original coauthor of chap 17.
Suzanne Harris, J.D., 1977, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, is a principal in the law firm of Harris Ginsberg LLP in Los Angeles and is a Certified Family Law Specialist. She is a past Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Family Law Section and served on the Judicial Council’s Family Law Advisory Committee to the Chief Justice of California. She is active in the American Bar Association’s Family Law Section and is a fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Ms. Harris is a frequent lecturer to attorneys and others on family law and litigation topics. She is the author of chaps 12 and 13.
Sarah Leverett, B.A., 1964, Agnes Scott College; M.A.T., 1965, Duke University; J.D., 1975, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, is a Certified Family Law Specialist, with a law practice in Oakland that specializes in family law litigation and mediation. She has taught family law at the Wright Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Social Welfare and many continuing education courses to attorneys and mental health professionals. Ms. Leverett is a founding partner of Waterstone, a group of professionals involved in teaching multidisciplinary courses in family law and mediation. She is a coauthor of chap 4.
Steven C. Neustadter. The late Steven C. Neustadter, B.A., 1964, University of California, Berkeley; J.D., 1969, University of California, Hastings College of the Law, was an original coauthor of chap 2. Mr. Neustadter practiced law and mediation in Sebastopol and was a Certified Family Law Specialist. He frequently acted as a private judge in family law matters and taught continuing education programs to lawyers in family law, mediation, negotiation, stress reduction, and the application of psychological principles to the practice of law.
John H. Paulsen, B.A., 1970, University of Southern California; J.D., 1974, Pepperdine University, is a partner in the law firm of Paulsen & Davis in Auburn and is a Certified Family Law Specialist. Mr. Paulsen has served on the Executive Committee of the State Bar Family Law Section; as editor of the Family Law News from 1982 to 1985; on the Publication Development Board for the American Bar Association, Family Law Section from 1988 to 1993; and on the Family Law Advisory Committee to the Judicial Council of California. He is the author of chaps 6, 7, and 16.
Michael C. Shea. The late Michael C. Shea, B.A., 1968, California State University, San Diego; J.D., 1971, California Western University, was the original author of chaps 5, 14, and 15. Mr. Shea formerly practiced law in San Diego and was a Certified Family Law Specialist. He was a coauthor of California Civil Practice, Family Law Litigation (Bancroft-Whitney, 1994) and served as an adjunct professor of law at the University of San Diego. He regularly served as a Judge Pro Tem in the San Diego Superior Court and frequently lectured to attorneys on family law matters. His original chapters were updated by CEB’s attorney staff for the third edition.
Peter M. Walzer, B.A., 1975, University of California, Los Angeles; J.D., 1980, Southwestern University School of Law, is a Certified Family Law Specialist and practices law in Beverly Hills and Woodland Hills (Walzer & Melcher, LLP). He is a past president of the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists. He is the President of the Southern California chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a past chair of the Executive Committee of the California State Bar Family Law Section. Mr. Walzer, who is widely respected as the “King of Prenups” for his demonstrated and recognized expertise in the area of premarital agreements, also has served as an editor of the Family Law News and participated in numerous continuing legal education programs. He was a contributing author of CEB’s now-discontinued title California Domestic Partnerships (Cal CEB). He is the author of chap 17 of this book for the current edition.
Peggy L. Bennington is the update author of chap 3; see the “About the Authors” section for a full biography.
James M. Crawford, Jr., is the update author of chaps 11 and 20; see the “About the Authors” section for a full biography.
Debra S. Frank is the update author of chap 18; see the “About the Authors” section for a full biography.
Peter M. Walzer is the update author of chap 17; see the “About the Authors” section for a full biography.

References: §3047
 §3
 §3044
 §6
 §15
 §2
 §2
 §20
 §1615
 §2122
 §3
 §8
 §151
 §11041
 §11051
 §8
 §8