Atlanta Family Law Blog

A recent blog post several months ago discussed the issue of family law and Facebook and the growing use of Internet evidence in divorce cases. As mentioned, content such as photographs and wall comments are not as private as one might think, but the actual purpose of using Facebook is now having as much influence on marriage and divorce in Georgia and across the United States as the content itself.

A recent news article discussed the effect of social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr on marriage and divorce proceedings. While some people use these sites to connect with old friends, others are using it as an opportunity to live an alternative life.

Grandparent Rights to visit their grandchildren caught up in custody or divorce cases have been strengthened by the passage of House Bill 1198, passed by the Georgia House of Representatives March 7, amended, passed and adopted by the Georgia Senate on March 26, amendment accepted and passed by the House on March 29.  The Governor signed it into law on May 1, 2012.

The new law will increase grandparent rights to seek visitation when grandchildren are involved in cases involving child custody, divorce or the termination of parental rights. It will encourage judges to allow children to visit their grandparents when that grandparent has financially supported the child for a year or regularly visited with the child.

The new law allows judges to rule that the child's interests would be harmed without some "minimal" contact with their grandparents. Those visits would total at least 24 hours in a month.

The new law eliminates the language that states that there is "no presumption" in favor of grandparent visitation, and adds the following language:

"In considering whether the health or welfare of the child would be harmed without such visitation, the court shall consider and may find that harm to the child is reasonably likely to result where, prior to the original action or intervention:

(A) The minor child resided with the grandparent for six months or more;

(B) The grandparent provided financial support for the basic needs of the child for at least one year;

(C) There was an established pattern of regular visitation or child care by the

grandparent with the child; or

(D) Any other circumstance exists indicating that emotional or physical harm would

be reasonably likely to result if such visitation is not granted."

It further establishes a rebuttable presumption that a child who is denied any contact with his or her grandparent or who is not provided some minimal opportunity for contact with his or her grandparent may suffer emotional injury that is harmful to such child's health.

The new law is effective immediately.  It revises Official Code of Georgia O.C.G.A. § 19-7-3.

Divorce expos have been gathering steam across the United States and are becoming extremely popular to those going through the rough patch. Proponents of the concept say people who divorce need resources to reclaim their life just as much as engaged couples need wedding expos to fulfill requirements for the beginning of a marriage.

Like its premarital cousin, a divorce expo offers services that are used by people affected by a specific life change. Instead of promoting wedding planning, cake decorating and honeymoon travel destinations geared toward those preparing for marriage, divorce expo vendors offer a way for participants to renew, rediscover and recover from one of life's toughest events.

Couples in Georgia and across the United States who cohabited before marriage once had a higher divorce rate than couples who remained apart until their wedding day. A new study of 22,000 individuals, single and married, reveals that cohabitation before marriage no longer has the negative impact on marriage success that it once had.

Living together or apart before marriage may not matter as much as it did a few decades ago, but according to the new study by government researchers, the overall divorce rate is still high in the U.S. Almost half of all marriages disintegrate within 20 years.