Family Law News Monthly

The family came to the agency’s attention after an altercation between mother and her daughters. Several days prior to the incident, mother told her 22-year-old daughter to move out of the home. The 16-year-old child left with her older sister. The two older children then briefly took the 12-year-old, who has special needs, without permission and proceeded to confront mother. A witness described the older daughters standing “like they were trying to fight” mother. Another witness reported the daughters “kept saying they wanted to get back in the house and they wanted [mother] to leave, like a take over.” Mother brandished a knife and made threats to her older daughters. The 16-year-old reported mother struck her with a shovel and injured her torso. The agency removed the younger two daughters. Following the initial hearing, the middle daughter recanted, reporting she caused the mark on her torso at her older sister’s direction and that mother accidentally hit her when she attempted to intervene between mother and the oldest child. At the jurisdiction and disposition hearing, the juvenile court sustained the petition and removed the children from mother’s care. Mother timely appealed. While the appeal was pending, the juvenile court returned the children to mother’s care and terminated jurisdiction. The Court of Appeal subsequently dismissed mother’s appeal as moot, despite mother’s argument that the jurisdictional allegation was reportable to the Department of Justice for inclusion in California’s Child Abuse Central Index (CACI). The Supreme Court granted review. Read more

The Court of Appeal reversed a date-of-separation order, holding that the trial court erred by treating the date of separation alleged in the wife’s amended dissolution petition as a binding judicial admission where the husband had not accepted the allegation and both parties had conducted themselves in litigation as if the date remained disputed. Read more

The following are the noteworthy changes to the Family Code passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Newsom over the past year. Please take special note of the effective dates. Read more

FLEXCOM gathered in Pismo Beach in February 2026 for an in-person working meeting focused on alignment, execution, and strengthening the relationships that make our statewide work possible. These meetings are where we move from ideas to action by setting priorities, coordinating across committees, and building the kind of shared momentum that strengthens the Family Law Section’s value for members across California. Read more

As Vice Chair of the Family Law Executive Committee (FLEXCOM) of the California Lawyers Association and Chair of its Education Committee, Bree is at the forefront of statewide efforts to elevate professional standards, expand continuing education, and strengthen collaboration among family law practitioners. Read more

Substantial evidence supported the court’s ICWA findings where the agency had inquired of all available family members except a sole maternal uncle. The trial court may infer that denials of ancestry were in response to questions about ICWA heritage even if the agency did not describe its inquiries. Read more

The Court of Appeal imposed $25,000 in sanctions against an attorney for filing a frivolous writ petition containing serious accusations against the trial court without any supporting evidence in the record, holding that lawyers may not make assertions in court that lack factual support—regardless of h99 ow much the lawyer or client "earnestly believes" them—and that disparaging a trial judge without concrete evidence is sanctionable. Read more

Aligns conflicting state tax law with federal tax law. Repeals the spousal support deduction previously allowed for the payor who paid support pursuant to a divorce or separation agreement. Read more

The California Lawyers Association Family Law Executive Committee (FLEXCOM) is excited to share that we successfully launched Legislative Lens, a new free monthly webinar series created to help California family law practitioners stay informed, connected, and supported through timely updates on legislation, policy developments, and community-based initiatives impacting family law practice statewide. Read more

Cannabis businesses and related income available for support determinations can be complicated in divorce matters. With federal rescheduling efforts and congressional reforms evolving, cannabis cases require extra care because tax/banking constraints can change what income is realistically available for support, and divorce transfers can trigger regulatory ownership/financial-interest issues that may impact licensing and business continuity. Read more