Source: https://www.baldwinbriscoe.com/family-law/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 10:22:34+00:00

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Family Law - Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C.
A prenuptial agreement is a contract that helps manage the risk of a future marital relationship that comes to an end through divorce, separation or dissolution of the marriage. A prenuptial allows you and your partner to decide on issues now such as property ownership, management of financial affairs, spousal support, or any other area you have mutual interests in now rather than later.
A separation agreement is a voluntary contract between a husband and wife who choose to live separately. The agreement can address any of the matters that accompany the end of a marriage, such as child custody and visitation, alimony, or division of marital property and debt.
Protection and peace orders protect victims of abuse through the courts. These orders require that an individual who has committed an abusive act stop any violent or threatening physical actions, stop any threatening verbal contact, and stay away from a victim’s home and work. Additionally, these orders can include granting temporary possession of a family home, child custody, and financial support.
Maryland separates divorce into two categories: limited and absolute. A limited divorce is a court-ordered separation. In a limited divorce a judge lacks the authority to divide real property or pensions. In an absolute divorce the marital relationship is terminated, all property can be divided.
An annulment is the process of declaring a marriage invalid. Maryland law allows marriages to be voided for a variety of reasons.
During a divorce a judge often awards alimony when partners in a marriage have unequal incomes. However, circumstances change. After a divorce is final the court may still be petitioned to modify alimony settlements in ways that reflect the new realities of each partner’s financial situation.
A Qualified Domestic Relations Order is a court ruling that divides and distributes the benefits of a retirement plan between separating partners during a divorce. For couples who shared a long marriage the financial value of a pension plan may outweigh the value of the house they share; through QDROs, courts divide these benefits.
Children are often the unintended victims of separation and divorce. Through parenting plans, child custody and visitation are arranged as best as is possible. At The Law Offices of Baldwin & Briscoe, P.C., we can guide you through the process.
Child support is one of the issues decided during a divorce. Similar to alimony, courts take the financial resources of both partners into account when awarding child support.
A court in Maryland will legally change your name so long as it is not done with intent to commit fraud or escape debt. At The Law Offices of Baldwin & Briscoe, P.C. we can walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring the procedure is committed smoothly.
There are many kinds of guardianships in Maryland. In any situation where a person is unable to make their own decisions the court may appoint a guardian over them. Our firm represents clients involved in all types of guardianships.
Fiduciary duty is a legal duty to act solely in another party’s interests. Parties owing this duty are called fiduciaries. The individuals to whom they owe a duty to are called principals. Fiduciaries may not profit from their relationship with their principals unless they have the principals’ express informed consent. They also have a duty to avoid any conflicts of interest between themselves and their principals.
A guardian is a person who is entrusted with the legal care and oversight of another person, also called the ward. The guardian is usually appointed by the state, though they can also be appointed by the ward’s parents in some cases. The ward is usually a minor who needs legal guidance or an adult who cannot make legal decisions on their own, such as a person who is disabled in some manner or an elderly person.
There are two types of guardians. First, guardians of the person are entrusted with the care of the actual ward, much in the same way that an adoptive parent is responsible for a child. Secondly, guardians of the estate are entrusted with the overseeing of a person’s estate, which involves all of the property, money, and assets that they own. In both cases, the guardian owes a fiduciary duty to the ward.
A guardian is required by law to act in a manner that is honest and responsible when managing the ward’s financial affairs. The guardian must act in good faith and exercise sound judgment when making decisions on behalf of their ward. A guardian can sometimes be held legally responsible for the ward’s own losses, typically if the loss was the direct result of the guardian’s breach of their duties. Generally however, the guardian is never responsible or personally liable for any debts or legal obligations that were incurred solely by the ward. The guardian should manage the ward’s finances so that their debts are addressed in a timely manner; however the guardian usually does not need to pay for these out of their own pocket, but rather using the ward’s own funds. On the other hand, the guardian may be liable for debts associated with the ward, for example if they arose according to a contract or other type of arrangement, such as those that were addressed in a guardianship agreement.
In some cases, guardians can receive child support payments from the ward’s non-custodial biological parent. However, this may depend on several factors. It may be that the ward’s parents have not completely forfeited their parental rights; so the guardian may only be acting in a very limited capacity and for a specific purpose. The child support order may specifically list the biological parent for the support, rather than the guardian. In any event, if the guardian is receiving child support payments for the ward, the funds need to be dedicated to the ward and not for personal use.
That they may be intentionally pilfering or stealing assets.
The state of Maryland does not recognize fiduciary duty by itself. “In a claim for monetary damages at law, however, an alleged breach of fiduciary duty may give rise to a cause of action, but it does not, standing alone, constitute a cause of action.” Wasserman Goldsten Family LLC v. Kay, 197 Md.App. 586, 631–32, 14 A.3d 1193, 1219 (2011). A claim for breach of fiduciary duty exists only “where the breach is alleged as an element of the cause of action-not as a separate cause of action itself.” Boiardi v. Freestate, (D. Md. 2013). In other words, there is not an independent cause of action; the breach comes from a pure negligence or contract claim.
A guardianship in Maryland works in much the same way that it does in most other jurisdictions. “Before a guardianship of the person may be imposed, the petitioner must establish by clear and convincing evidence the “need” for such a guardianship.” In re Rosenberg, 211 Md. App. 305, 314, 65 A.3d 203, 208 (2013). A guardianship proceeding shall terminate upon: “(1) The cessation of the minority or disability; (2) The death or presumptive death of the minor or disabled person; (3) Transfer of all the assets of the estate to a foreign fiduciary; or (4) Other good cause for termination as may be shown to the satisfaction of the court.” Id at 209.
In Maryland, the statute of limitations for a civil action is defined under Maryland Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article 5-101 “[a] civil action at law shall be filed within three years from the date it accrues unless another provision of the Code provides a different period of time within which an action shall be commenced.” However, there are exceptions to this rule.
These exceptions are known as tolling, which, means that the statute of limitations has been legally suspended until some event specified by law occurs. Tolling greatly benefits the plaintiff and allows for cases to be filed that otherwise would be barred due to failure to meet the statute of frauds. Various events or circumstances will toll a statute of limitations. It is tolled when one of the parties is under a legal disability—the lack of legal capacity to do an act—at the time the cause of action accrues. A child or a person with a mental illness is regarded as being incapable of initiating a legal action on her own behalf. Therefore, the time limit will be tolled until some fixed time after the disability has been removed. For example, once a child reaches the age of majority, the counting of time will be resumed. A personal disability that postpones the operation of the statute against an individual may be asserted only by that individual. If a party is under more than one disability, the statute of limitations does not begin to run until all the disabilities are removed.
There are many aspects when it comes to the caretaking of a child, but what about an adult. A destitute child is just one of the many ways a parent might still be obligated to pay for a child even though the child is over the age of 18. We here at the Law Offices of Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C. have handled destitute children cases.
What is a Destitute Adult Child?
Most people believe that once a child reaches the age of 18, that the child support and caretaking of that child stops. However, that assumption is wrong. In most situations, a child does become emancipated at the age of 18; however there are some circumstances where a parent might have to continue to pay for a child past the age of 18. One set of circumstances is a destitute adult child. A destitute adult child is an adult child who does not have the means of substance, and cannot be self-supporting due to a mental or physical condition. MD. Code, FAM LAW §13-101(b).
Maryland looks at the destitute adult child and has to determine whether or not they are able to take care of themselves both physically and mentally. MD. Code, FAM LAW §13-101(b). If the child in fact is determined to be a destitute adult child by not being able to take care of themselves financially and physically, then a parent might have a duty to take care of the destitute adult child. MD. Code, FAM LAW §13-101(b); and MD Code, FAM LAW §13-102(b). The parent’s duty to take care of the destitute adult child arises if “a destitute adult child is in the State and has a parent who has or is able to earn sufficient means, the parent may not neglect or refuse to provide the destitute adult child with food, shelter, care, and clothing.” MD Code, FAM LAW §13-102(b).
The case law found in Cutts, Jr. v. Trippe, 208 Md.App. 696, (2012) enforces the duty of a parent to take care of a destitute adult child. In Cutts, Jr. v. Trippe, 208 Md.App. 696, (2012) the mother of the destitute child moved to modify the father’s child support obligation because the destitute adult child was incurring reasonable expenses that the destitute child was unable to pay. The Maryland Court of Special Appeals held that under MD Code, FAM LAW §13-102(b), “[p]arents have a statutory duty to support an adult destitute child,” as defined under MD. Code, FAM LAW §13-101(b), and granted the mother’s motion. Cutts, Jr. v. Trippe, 208 Md.App. 696, 703 (2012). Thus, Cutts, Jr. v. Trippe enforces the obligation of a parent to take care of a destitute adult child.
According to MD Code, FAM LAW §13-102(c), the penalties for not providing a destitute adult child with food, shelter, care, and clothing are as follows: “A person who violates any provisions of this sextion is guilty of a misdemeanor and on a conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year, or both.” MD Code, FAM LAW §13-102(c).
This is not legal advice. The Law Offices of Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C. are experienced attorneys who can help you receive the maximum for your case. For more information as to whether you are entitled to relief due to the care-taking of a destitute child, contact a practicing attorney at the Law Offices of Baldwin, Briscoe & Steinmetz, P.C.
Adoptions in Maryland are made through a comprehensive legal procedure. The Law Offices of Baldwin & Briscoe, P.C. has served adopters for years by representing them and seeing them make it through the courts.
After a divorce an ex-spouse may be charged with contempt for failing to make payments or failure to fulfill promises they made during the divorce. Our firm will work to ensure swift and fair resolutions of any of your post-divorce legal needs.

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