New York City

Published on: January 2, 2013

Plaintiff Reports Divorce Papers Signed Under Duress

by Stephen Bilkis

This is a case being heard before the Special Term of the Supreme Court of Nassau County in the state of New York. This plaintiff in this case is Jean DiRusso and the defendants in the case are Fortunato DiRusso and Regina Anna DiRusso. A New York Family Lawyer said the action before the court is for a declaratory judgment and is the fifth litigation brought forth between the plaintiff wife and the defendant husband. The plaintiff wife is seeking a judgment stating that she is the lawful wife of the defendant husband and that the defendant husband and the defendant, Regina Anna Furrer-DiRusso are not husband and wife. The plaintiff is asking that the defendant husband be required to support the plaintiff and that he and the defendant Regina Anna Furrer provide fees for counsel and disbursements for prosecution in this action.

The defendants have answered and join in a request for a declaratory judgment and counterclaim for a declaration that the plaintiff wife is not the lawful wife and that he and Regina Anna Furrer are legally married.

Case Background

Published on: January 1, 2013

Court Decides if Someone Who Commits Adultery is Allowed to Obtain Legal Separation

by Stephen Bilkis

The Supreme Court located in New York County is overseeing this case involving the plaintiff Joy Silverman and the defendant Jeffrey Silverman. From the beginning, this case has been driven by two different concerns. A New York Family Lawyer said the husband wishes to have a divorce granted immediately without waiting for the final determination of the ancillary financial issues and the wife believes that the husband should not be allowed the divorce until a judgment settles all of the existing financial issues of the case.

Case Background

In August of 1994, the defendant, Jeffery Silverman served the plaintiff wife, Joy Silverman with papers commencing a divorce action in the state of Connecticut. The grounds for the divorce were irreconcilable differences. These grounds were unavailable to him in the state of New York.

Published on: January 1, 2013

Court Looks at Husband’s Drug Use in Domestic Violence Case

by Stephen Bilkis

A New York Family Lawyer said the complainant Wife and the defendant Husband exchanged marital vows in an Orthodox Jewish ceremony in Nassau County. At the time of the marriage the parties were very young New York residents, the Wife was 18 years old and the Husband, 22. Although the Wife had two years of college education at the College for Women in New York City, the Husband merely finished high school. She stopped studying without obtaining a degree after the birth of their first child and three more followed. After the children were born, the Wife became a full time homemaker and parent. The parties raised their children adhering to the tenets of Orthodox Judaism and the children attended the former school of the Husband.

At the time of their marriage in August 1983, the Husband was a Jewish music producer and sole owner and employee of an Orchestra, which primarily booked bands for weddings and other special events. A New York Custody Lawyer said through the Orchestra and the use of professional production studios, the Husband also produced albums and recordings for some well-known Hasidic musical entertainers, both in New York and in Israel. The Husband initially maintained a business office in Queens, which later operated from the marital home. The Husband at some point sold the company name of the Orchestra, but continued in the same business, calling his company with another name. Throughout the marriage, the Husband remained the primary support for the household with these enterprises.

Upon the formation of the new company in or about 1985, the Husband’s income increased to the range of $100,000 to $125,000 per year. A Suffolk County Family Lawyer said this would later include the Husband’s income of $50,000 to $75,000 which is generated from his employment by the non-profit Jewish organization. From 1989 through 1996, the Husband’s primary function with the non-profit Jewish organization consisted of putting together an annual special concert in New York City’s Lincoln Center that raised major funds for the organization. The Husband testified that in one year during the early to mid 1990’s, he had occasion to earn $150,000 as a result of the fundraising concerts and his employment by the organization, although he never attained that income level again.

Published on: December 31, 2012

Court Reviews Personal Jurisdiction in Divorce Case

by Stephen Bilkis

This is an instant case being heard in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in New York County. The case involves legal malpractice claims made by the plaintiffs, Vladimira Koch, (Vladka),Michal Koch, and several video companies that Vladimira Koch holds ownership interests in. The claims are made against the defendants, who were former counsels that represented Vladimira Koch during her divorce preceding. The defendants include Sheresky, Aronson, & Mayefsky, LLP, David Aronson individually, Brager, Wexler, Eagel & Morgenstern, P.C., Raymond A. Brager individually, Ragues & Min, Esq., Raymond Ragues individually, D’Agostino & Salvi, LLP and Frank J. Salvi individually.

A New York Family Lawyer said the Brager, Salvi, and Aronson defendants have each filed a motion seeking dismissal of the complaints made against them on various grounds. In opposition to these motions the plaintiffs have filed a cross motion for an order to extend their time to complete the service of process.

Case Background

Published on: December 30, 2012

Plaintiff Sues Divorce Lawyer for Failure to Prosecute

by Stephen Bilkis

The plaintiff, Marguerite Grucci has alleged a first cause of action for legal malpractice for failure to prosecute and a second cause of action for legal malpractice for failure to obtain a permanent order for protection and a third cause of action for a breach of contract against the defendants Gregory Rabinowitz and Kramer & Rabinowitz, LLC. This case is being heard in the Supreme Court of the State of New York located in Suffolk County.

A New York Family Lawyer said the plaintiff has also entered a fourth cause of action in this case seeking damages for the delay in turning her file over to the new attorney that she obtained and for removing documents from the file and delaying the recommencement of her case. She states that the defendant deceitfully advised her that her grounds for divorce were not strong enough. She also alleges a cause of action regarding her loss of support and maintenance based on the defendant’s refusal to release the payments from escrow. The final cause of action made by the plaintiff accuses the defendant’s of excessive billing.

Plaintiff’s Case

Published on: December 29, 2012

Wife Claims She Owns Half of Husband’s Stock Proceeds

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is being heard in the Supreme Court of the State of New York located in Westchester County. Jose and Nerieda Rodriguez as the administrators of the estate of the deceased Janette Carlucci and Candice Carlucci are the plaintiffs in this case. The defendant in the case is Iren Sepe. A New York Family Lawyer said the plaintiff have motioned for a declaration stating that they are entitled to 100% of the shares of stock of the Very Best IRTJ Corporation that is owned by Robert Sepe. The defendant’s have made a cross motion seeking a declaration that she has a superior right to half of the proceeds of the sale of the stock of the Very Best IRTJ Corporation.

Case Background

The defendant, Irene Sepe and her ex-husband Robert Sepe were divorced on the 16th of July, 2007. A stipulation of settlement was entered as part of the divorce. In this settlement Robert Sepe acknowledged that he was the sole owner of The Very Best IRTJ Corporation. The principal asset of the company is a commercial building that is located on Yorktown Road in Croton-on-Hudson. A New York Custody Lawyer said the stipulation of the divorce settlement states:

Published on: December 28, 2012

Paternity in Question in Divorce Case

by Stephen Bilkis

This is a case being heard in the Supreme Court of the State of New York located in New York County. The plaintiff of the case is Andrew T. and the defendant in the matter is Yana T.

Case Background

A New York Family Lawyer said the couple of this case were married on the first of July in 2006. The marriage took place in New York City. Approximately fifteen months after the wedding, in September of 2007, the couple filed for divorce. The grounds stated for the divorce were abandonment of the plaintiff by the defendant for a year prior to the beginning of the divorce proceeding and cruel and inhuman treatment of the plaintiff by the defendant. The plaintiff relied on the abandonment cause of action as the main reason for seeking the divorce.

Published on: December 27, 2012

Court Decides Jurisdiction Issue

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is being heard in the New York Supreme Court located in Kings County. The plaintiff in the case is Elizabeth Benson Weiss and the defendant in the case is Bruce Weiss. The defendant/husband, Bruce Weiss has moved for an order to dismiss the complaint that has been made against him by the plaintiff/wife, Elizabeth Benson Weiss. The defendant basis his argument for dismissal on the fact that the lack of jurisdiction by the court. Alternatively, the defendant wishes to have the venue of this case moved to the Family Division, District Court located in Clark County, Nevada.

Case Background

A New York Family Lawyer said the couple was married in 1986 in New York, New York. The couple lived in Brooklyn, New York for their entire marriage. The couple states that they physically separated a few years ago. The couple has one child, a daughter named Jessica.

Published on: December 26, 2012

Wife Files for Distribution of Marital Property Eight Years After Divorce

by Stephen Bilkis

This case is being heard in the New York Supreme Court located in Westchester County. The plaintiff in the case is E.A. and the defendant is R.A.

Case Background

A New York Family Lawyer said the material and relevant facts of this case are undisputed. The couple was married on the 12th of April, 1985, in Danbury, Connecticut. The couple has one child together, Maxine Audet who is 19 years old and currently attending college. The husband has remained a resident of the state of Connecticut since the time of the marriage.

Published on: December 25, 2012

Wife Claims Emotional Distress, Fraud in Divorce Proceedings

by Stephen Bilkis

This is a case being heard in the Second Department, Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The appellant in this case is Xiao Yang Chen and the respondent in the matter is Ian Ira Fischer. The appellant is seeking to appeal an order that was made in the Supreme Court of Westchester County that granted the defendant the motion to dismiss the complaint made against him on the grounds of res judicata.

A New York Family Lawyer said the action that is being brought forth by Xiao Yang Chen is seeking to recover damages for personal injuries that she allegedly sustained from the hands of her ex husband, Ian Ira Fischer while they were married. The issue before the court is whether the judgment for divorce dated the 8th of May, 2002 bars Chen from seeking this action based on the alleged and tortuous acts that allegedly took place during the marriage.

Case Background