Bills Would Deprive Abusive Parents of Alimony And Inheritance Rights

Recently, the Senate and Assembly judiciary committees unanimously recommended passage of legislation that would eliminate alimony and inheritance rights for parents who abuse, abandon, neglect or cause the death of their children. Under current law, noneconomic fault is irrelevant to alimony awards except in egregious circumstances, and the intestate share of a decedent child is distributed equally between the surviving parents, regardless of whether that child’s parents abused that child prior to his death. The bills were introduced in response to recent appellate court rulings that came to different conclusions in resolving such claims.

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