Sole custody is an arrangement where - after the separation or divorce of a minor child’s parents - only one parent has physical custody and/or legal custody. Physical custody determines who lives with and cares for the child. Legal custody...
divorce
spousal support
Definition from Nolo’s Plain-English Law DictionaryMonetary support paid by one former spouse to another, usually for a specified period of time, pursuant to a divorce agreement or court order. In many states, it's called alimony.
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stayaway order
Stay away order is a form of restraining order in which a court orders someone not to go within a certain distance of another person or place. Like other restraining orders, a stay away order generally is given when someone has experienced or...
stepparent
A stepparent, including stepfather and stepmother, is a person who marries one’s own parent after the death or divorce of the other parent and therefore has no biological relationship to the child. Stepparents are not legal parents of the...
stepparent adoption
Stepparent adoption is the legal, formal adoption of a child by a stepparent who is married to a legal parent of that child. Stepparent adoption is the most common type of adoption in the United States, with conditions such as voluntary...
uncontested divorce
An uncontested divorce is a divorce proceeding where the court formally grants the requested divorce without the need to go through significant portions of the adversarial litigation process. In short, an uncontested divorce is when the...