Ariel Castro, the guy in Ohio who kidnapped three women and kept them prisoner for years, was sentenced to 1,000 years in prison after one of the women miraculously escaped. Figuring he wouldn’t make it that long, he decided to hang himself with a bed sheet. Castro was in protective custody, not in the “genpop” of the prison. He was…
A study at Arizona State University suggests that divorced parents who relocate more than 1 hour away after their divorce increases the likelihood that their children will suffer various psychological disorders. The instability trigger insecurity and increases the risks commonly associated with children of divorce including drug usage and sexual promiscuity. Technology has helped to alleviate in some manner the…
Family law cases in Utah are considered civil litigation, but they operate a little differently when it comes to filing motions. What is a Motion? A motion is a request for relief made to the court. Motions are generally written briefs that are filed with the court. The party filing the motion is called the “moving party.” The non-moving party…
Imagine this: A neighborhood decides to have a neighborhood yard sale. The neighbors take everything out into their yards the night before the yard sale so that it is ready for the early morning shoppers. One of the neighbors, a man of about sixty years, decides to sleep in his car to keep watch over the items for sale. This…
Specific Groups are Protected by Utah Law Utah law usually describes criminal offenses as applying broadly to all people. There are some Utah laws, however, that protect special groups of people because Utah state legislators feel these people deserve special protection. One such group receiving special protection are school employees. The Utah criminal code contains special provisions regarding crimes and…
Orem saw a rash of car robberies this week when three teenage boys got bored, ditched school, and allegedly began to break into cars and take property. Ultimately they were reported to have stolen two cars and broke into more than 60 cars. Potential pending charges may include vehicle theft, possession of stolen property, theft from a vehicle, criminal mischief and…
Robert Arthur Reed was sentenced yesterday in Casper Wyoming, U.S. District Court, for defrauding investors of more than $4.4 million dollars. The man falsely claimed the investment money was for wind farms in South Dakota and Wyoming. At sentencing, the U.S....
Recently a Houston investment manager, Robert Andres, plead guilty to wire fraud in federal court in Salt Lake City. The facts surrounding Mr. Andres’s case are all too familiar in Utah. Allegedly Mr. Andres raised investor funds through his company Winsome Investment Trust to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. He allegedly misrepresented to investors how the investment…
The Third District Court in Salt Lake City provides a free divorce education class for children ages 9 to 12 years old whose parents are going through a divorce or are already divorced. The class is given at the Matheson Courthouse downtown and is taught by a licensed mental health professional. The program is planned to expand to the Second…
In Utah divorce cases that involve hotly disputed custody issues, the court often orders the party to undergo a custody evaluation with a qualified individual who has specialized training in determining the best interests of a child. The Custody Evaluation When parties are ordered to do a custody evaluation they are also ordered to cooperate with the evaluator so that…
