Marshall William Waller’s Answers

To add to Mr. Rothstein's answer, you do have the ability to commence an action regarding custody with the Superior Court and seek primary custody and the right to relocate with the child. This is a major undertaking, however, very difficult without an attorney.

By saying you are "legally separated" I am assuming you have a judgment of legal separation. If that is the case, the easiest way to get divorced is to file a new Petition for Dissolution. The boxes regarding property will indicate no community property since that was all (presumably) resolved in the legal separation matter, as would have all issues regarding children. If your legal separation action is still penning, simply make a request of the court to amend your petition to request...

These are questions that are more complicated than they appear. The short answer is this: assuming spousal support is modifiable then while it will continue going it can be modified to reflect any changes in income and employment experienced by either of you. Also, the termination of child support will also have an impact on this dynamic. Please note that none of this happens automatically; you must go into court and let the judge know what is going on and that you need relief.

Usually you don’t need to do anything - child support typically terminates as per the language of the court order that created the obligation. Check your court order (Judgment) and see what it says. If it says something like "child support shall continue until the child reaches the age of 18 ...) then you don’t need to do anything. This is the type of question most family law attorneys will answer for you for free, so you should take your court order to an experienced family law attorney and...

You need to continue your trial. Explain your situation to the judge and I am confident they will agree. Then you need to find a reputable family law attorney to help you with this situation. If at all possible, hire an attorney. If you cannot afford a lawyer, then make a list of all the issues you need to address with the court and, after you have continued the trial, find a lawyer who will work with you on an issue-by issue basis. This is called "limited scope representation" or "unbundled...

That would be a very normal and reasonable request.

The court should be aware of the law regarding custody of your children. Be clear and specific in your declaration about what you want and WHY; the judge should be able to make a ruling without your reference to a specific code section.

Generally speaking , the answer to this question is "no," you aren't so expected. Of course, the situation you present isn't so much a legal question as it is one of human nature. You pay the required child support and then your kids ask you for things and they (and perhaps your ex) expects you to pay for it. Are you REQUIRED to make these purchases? Most likely not, unless the court order says you must. "Should" you make these purchases? Well, that's up to you and up to what you can afford. If...

This is way more than a grandparents rights question. You need to get yourself an attorney who is experienced handling Dependency Court cases. Good luck.

You can and should go get a restraining order from the court. You can go to the Family Law Facilitator's office at the courthouse located at 111 N. Hill Street, Los Angeles (Fourth Floor) and they will help you fill out the paperwork. There is no charge for this, and the court filing is also free. There might be a similar service in Compton, I'm just not sure. You can call them (the Compton Superior Court - ask for the family law or domestic violence clerk) to see if they offer this service....