Family Law

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law

In re Miguel J. — Domestic Violence Can Support Dependency Jurisdiction Even When the Child Is Struck Accidentally

automatic / August 3, 2026

Intentional domestic violence in a child’s presence can support dependency jurisdiction even if contact with the child was accidental.

4th District Court of Appeal, Administrative Law, Family Law

In re Violet S. — Eligible nonminor dependent keeps extended foster-care jurisdiction

automatic / July 30, 2026

A juvenile court could not terminate jurisdiction over an eligible nonminor dependent merely because another agency also provided lifelong services.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Criminal Law, Family Law

United States v. Lopez — California domestic-violence convictions are not categorical crimes of violence

automatic / July 28, 2026

The Ninth Circuit held that Penal Code section 273.5 does not categorically require the mental state needed for a federal crime-of-violence enhancement.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law

In re X.A. — Extensive ICWA Follow-Up Supported Termination of Parental Rights

automatic / July 27, 2026

A documented, extensive inquiry of maternal relatives satisfied California's ICWA duties despite inconsistent ancestry claims and limited family cooperation.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Family Law

Marriage of G.E. & I.D. — Family courts cannot dismiss DVRO petitions merely to manage crowded calendars

automatic / July 20, 2026

A family court abused its discretion by dismissing a DVRO petition for calendar-management reasons and ending temporary protection without notice.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Estate Planning, Probate and Tax Law, Family Law, Probate

Jackson v. Meyer — Trust Revocation During Divorce Proceedings Valid Despite Failure to File With Court

automatic / July 14, 2026

California's Second District Court of Appeal held that a spouse's trust revocation during pending divorce proceedings is valid even though it was never filed with the court, as long as the other spouse received actual notice of the revocation as required by the trust instrument.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Family Law, Litigation

Marriage of Martinez & Camou — Divorce Litigants Must Promptly Invoke Same-Judge Rights When Agreeing to Bifurcation

automatic / July 9, 2026

A California Court of Appeal ruling holds that parties who stipulate to bifurcation in a dissolution case must promptly raise any same-judge objection or face Family Code section 271 sanctions — waiting eight months while attending multiple trial setting conferences is not timely.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law

In re Landon M. — Appeal Dismissed as Moot; Court Clarifies That Allowing Armed Father Access Does Not Constitute Reportable ‘Severe Neglect’ Under CACI

automatic / July 2, 2026

The Second District dismisses a mother's dependency appeal as moot after the juvenile court terminated jurisdiction and granted her sole custody, holding that allowing a father with known guns access to children constitutes 'general neglect' — not the 'severe neglect' that would trigger a reportable CACI listing.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Family Law

In re N.J. — Implied Findings Doctrine Supplies Missing Presumed Father Finding in Dependency; ICWA Remand Required

automatic / June 26, 2026

The Fourth District holds that where a juvenile court treats a father as a presumed father throughout dependency proceedings without expressly saying so, the implied findings doctrine satisfies the requirement — but an explicit finding must be directed on remand, alongside mandatory ICWA compliance.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Litigation

R.M. v. A.G. — Court Errs by Ignoring Indirect Harassment in Domestic Violence Restraining Order Hearing

automatic / June 25, 2026

A trial court abused its discretion in a domestic violence restraining order case by refusing to consider whether the respondent's humiliating social media posts and calls to the petitioner's mother constituted indirect abuse that "disturbed the peace" under the Domestic Violence Prevention Act.

1st District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Real Estate Law

Marriage of McConnell & Jahnke — Awarding a Home ‘and All Debts Thereon’ Does Not Require Removing Ex-Spouse from Mortgage

automatic / June 5, 2026

The First District holds that a divorce settlement awarding one spouse the marital home 'and all debts thereon' does not implicitly require removing the other spouse from the mortgage, reinforcing that such obligations must be explicitly stated.

4th District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Litigation

In re A.T. — Child Must Be Under Five at Time of Jurisdictional Hearing for Section 300(e) to Apply

automatic / June 5, 2026

In a case of first impression, the Fourth District holds that section 300(e) juvenile dependency jurisdiction requires the child to be under five at the time of the hearing, not when the abuse occurred — reversing findings against a child who turned five before the hearing.

1st District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Personal Injury & Tort

C.F. v. Alternative Family Services — Foster Family Agency Owes Duty to Protect Children from Abuse It Knew or Should Have Known About

automatic / June 4, 2026

The First District affirmed a $24.7 million verdict against a foster family agency, holding that FFAs have a duty to protect foster children from abuse they knew or should have known about, but rejecting both an unlimited protective duty and one requiring actual knowledge.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law

In re K.L. — DCFS Not Required to Track Down Unavailable Relatives for ICWA Inquiry

automatic / May 29, 2026

The Second District holds that DCFS satisfied its ICWA initial inquiry duty despite not reaching the maternal grandmother, who was unreachable and whose contact information a relative declined to share.

3rd District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Family Law

Marriage of Capos — Ex-Husband Cannot Void $768K Child Support Arrearage Order He Opposed on the Merits

automatic / May 29, 2026

The Third District holds that an ex-husband who filed a written opposition to a child support arrearage request cannot later void the resulting $768K order by claiming defective notice based on unchecked Judicial Council form boxes.

4th District Court of Appeal, Collections & Creditor Rights, Family Law, Litigation

Greely v. Greely — Void Bigamous Marriage Defeats Spousal Exception for Bank Account Levies

automatic / May 20, 2026

The Fourth District held that a judgment creditor cannot use the spousal exception to levy a third party’s bank accounts without a court order when the marriage supporting the levy was bigamous and void from its inception.

Appellate Division (Superior Court), Family Law, Real Estate Law

Colonial Manor v. Reyes — Surviving Spouse Protected by Rent Control After Original Tenant’s Death, Costa-Hawkins Does Not Preempt

automatic / May 15, 2026

The Appellate Division of LA Superior Court affirmed judgment for a surviving spouse in an unlawful detainer action, holding she was an implied at-will tenant protected by Santa Monica rent control, and that Costa-Hawkins did not preempt the city’s 425% rent increase prohibition.

1st District Court of Appeal, Family Law

In re O.M. — Appellate Court Reverses Dismissal of Malnutrition-Based Dependency Counts

automatic / May 7, 2026

California's First District Court of Appeal reversed a juvenile court's dismissal of malnutrition-based dependency counts, finding uncontradicted evidence compelled jurisdiction where parents failed to acknowledge or plan for a toddler's severe nutritional deficiencies.

4th District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law, Family Law

In re Parker B. — 4th District Says Unqualified WIC Section 782 Dismissal Encompasses Findings, Allowing Sealing of Section 707(b) Juvenile Records

automatic / May 4, 2026

The Fourth District holds that an unqualified Welfare and Institutions Code section 782 dismissal encompasses the underlying findings, satisfying section 786(d)'s "dismissed" condition for sealing serious juvenile offense records — but the firearm restriction survives.

4th District Court of Appeal, Civil Procedure, Family Law

In re Marriage of Nishida & Kamoda — Civil Lawsuit Alleging Fraud in Marital Stipulation Was Timely and Should Not Have Been Dismissed After Transfer to Family Law Court

automatic / April 30, 2026

Fourth District reverses dismissal of civil fraud lawsuit alleging misrepresentation in connection with marital settlement stipulation, holding that the lawsuit was timely filed and should not have been dismissed under Family Code section 2122 after transfer to family law court.

California Supreme Court, Family Law

In re Z.G. — Juvenile Court Cannot Terminate Parental Rights Based Solely on Adoptability, and Mother’s Lawyer Was Ineffective for Failing to Demand Required Reunification Services

automatic / April 27, 2026

The California Supreme Court holds that juvenile courts cannot terminate a parent's rights based solely on a finding that the children are likely to be adopted, and that the mother's trial counsel here was constitutionally ineffective for failing to assert her statutory right to reunification services.

2nd District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Litigation

In re Marriage of Bowman — Family Court May Apply Family Code Fee Factors Even When MSA Has Prevailing Party Clause

automatic / April 3, 2026

Second District holds that the family law court retains discretion under Family Code sections 2030 and 2032 to consider parties' relative financial circumstances when fixing attorney's fees, even where a marital settlement agreement contains a contractual prevailing party fee clause.

1st District Court of Appeal, Criminal Law, Family Law

In re J.H. — Juvenile court may consider victim impact statement at six-month baseline review hearing if limited to rehabilitation-relevant material

automatic / March 27, 2026

First District holds that a juvenile court may consider a victim impact statement at a six-month baseline review hearing if it limits its consideration to material relevant to the juvenile's rehabilitation.

4th District Court of Appeal, Family Law

Steven N. v. Priscilla C. — Voluntary declaration of parentage is void where birth mother had attempted marriage to another man at the time of the child’s birth

automatic / March 26, 2026

Fourth District holds that a voluntary declaration of parentage is void where the birth mother had attempted to marry another man in apparent compliance with the law, making him a presumed parent under Family Code section 7611(b).

1st District Court of Appeal, Family Law, Litigation

Sheerer v. Panas — Self-represented litigants face the same duty to verify AI-generated citations as attorneys; child support order reversed for failing to include bonus and RSU income

automatic / March 19, 2026

First District extends its warning about AI-generated fake citations to self-represented litigants and reverses a child support order for failing to include the obligor's bonus and restricted stock unit income.