Family Law

  • Daum v. Daum
    FAMILY LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Kristiana OlsonIn Daum v. Daum, 518 P.3d 718 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that the superior court hadjurisdiction and authority to award support for an adult child covering the entirety of the child’sliving expenses. (Id. at 720). After a father filed for divorce following years of separation, themother counterclaimed ...
  • Angelica C. v. Jonathan C.
    FAMILY LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Sarah CouillardIn Angelica C. v. Jonathan C., 519 P.3d 334 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that thesuperior court did not abuse its discretion by finding that a child’s best interests in preserving thefather’s parental rights outweighed the mother’s rights as a victim of sexual abuse by the child’sfather. (Id. ...
  • Reed S. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    FAMILY LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Robert BulkaIn Reed S. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, 522 P.3d 182 (Alaska 2022), thesupreme court held that collateral consequences allowed it to review an otherwise–moot appeal ofa lower court’s child–in–need–of–aid (CINA) adjudication, and found no clear error in the lowercourt’s ruling that both parents’ conduct necessitated ...
  • Mona J. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    NATIVE LAW/FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Robert Bulka In Mona J. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, 511 P.3d 553 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that while a lack of parental cooperation with the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) does not justify making only passive efforts to provide remedial services to prevent Native ...
  • Husby v. Monegan
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Kristiana Olson In Husby v. Monegan, 517 P.3d 20 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that a statute allowing modification of visitation orders applies to grandparents and that the parental preference rule does not apply when a grandparent has already been granted visitation. (Id. at 23). After a mother gave birth ...
  • Layton v. O’Dea
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska Anighya H.D. Crocker In Layton v. O’Dea, 515 P.3d 92 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that the lower court erred when it (1) declined to consider whether a wife’s separate property transmuted to marital property through contract; and (2) found that no portion of a wife’s earnings on separate investments was ...
  • Tiffany B. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Alex Bartlow In Tiffany B. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, No. S-18111, 2022 WL 2066045 (Alaska June 8, 2022) (unpublished), the supreme court reversed the lower court’s order to terminate a mother’s parental rights, holding that the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) had not made sufficiently active efforts ...
  • Wright v. Dropik
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Sarah Brooks In Wright v. Dropik, 514 P.3d 655 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that when there is a dispute as to whether two people were in a domestic partnership, the court must consider various factors to determine if the people lived together in a marriage-like relationship. (Id. at 660). ...
  • Rock H. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Kristiana Olson In Rock H. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, 2022 WL 2236187 (Alaska 2022) (unpublished), the supreme court held that the superior court did not err in finding that a child was in need of aid, and that the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) made reasonable efforts overall ...
  • Grubb v. State
    FAMILY LAW Court of Appeals of Alaska (2022) Anighya H.D. Crocker In Grubb v. State, 506 P.3d 791 (Alaska Ct. App. 2022), the court of appeals held that Alaska law permits restitution only where lost wages and benefits are not too attenuated from the charged criminal conduct. (Id. at 792). Grubb pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual abuse of ...

Family Law

  • Daum v. Daum
    FAMILY LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Kristiana OlsonIn Daum v. Daum, 518 P.3d 718 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that the superior court hadjurisdiction and authority to award support for an adult child covering the entirety of the child’sliving expenses. (Id. at 720). After a father filed for divorce following years of separation, themother counterclaimed ...
  • Angelica C. v. Jonathan C.
    FAMILY LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Sarah CouillardIn Angelica C. v. Jonathan C., 519 P.3d 334 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that thesuperior court did not abuse its discretion by finding that a child’s best interests in preserving thefather’s parental rights outweighed the mother’s rights as a victim of sexual abuse by the child’sfather. (Id. ...
  • Reed S. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    FAMILY LAWSupreme Court of Alaska (2022)Robert BulkaIn Reed S. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, 522 P.3d 182 (Alaska 2022), thesupreme court held that collateral consequences allowed it to review an otherwise–moot appeal ofa lower court’s child–in–need–of–aid (CINA) adjudication, and found no clear error in the lowercourt’s ruling that both parents’ conduct necessitated ...
  • Mona J. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    NATIVE LAW/FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Robert Bulka In Mona J. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, 511 P.3d 553 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that while a lack of parental cooperation with the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) does not justify making only passive efforts to provide remedial services to prevent Native ...
  • Husby v. Monegan
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Kristiana Olson In Husby v. Monegan, 517 P.3d 20 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that a statute allowing modification of visitation orders applies to grandparents and that the parental preference rule does not apply when a grandparent has already been granted visitation. (Id. at 23). After a mother gave birth ...
  • Layton v. O’Dea
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska Anighya H.D. Crocker In Layton v. O’Dea, 515 P.3d 92 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that the lower court erred when it (1) declined to consider whether a wife’s separate property transmuted to marital property through contract; and (2) found that no portion of a wife’s earnings on separate investments was ...
  • Tiffany B. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Alex Bartlow In Tiffany B. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, No. S-18111, 2022 WL 2066045 (Alaska June 8, 2022) (unpublished), the supreme court reversed the lower court’s order to terminate a mother’s parental rights, holding that the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) had not made sufficiently active efforts ...
  • Wright v. Dropik
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Sarah Brooks In Wright v. Dropik, 514 P.3d 655 (Alaska 2022), the supreme court held that when there is a dispute as to whether two people were in a domestic partnership, the court must consider various factors to determine if the people lived together in a marriage-like relationship. (Id. at 660). ...
  • Rock H. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services
    FAMILY LAW Supreme Court of Alaska (2022) Kristiana Olson In Rock H. v. State, Department of Health & Social Services, 2022 WL 2236187 (Alaska 2022) (unpublished), the supreme court held that the superior court did not err in finding that a child was in need of aid, and that the Office of Children’s Services (OCS) made reasonable efforts overall ...
  • Grubb v. State
    FAMILY LAW Court of Appeals of Alaska (2022) Anighya H.D. Crocker In Grubb v. State, 506 P.3d 791 (Alaska Ct. App. 2022), the court of appeals held that Alaska law permits restitution only where lost wages and benefits are not too attenuated from the charged criminal conduct. (Id. at 792). Grubb pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual abuse of ...