Legal Articles, General Practice

Paying College Education After Divorce

At the time of a divorce, parties can reserve jurisdiction, a court’s authority to decide an issue, over matters regarding their child’s post-secondary education expenses.  It is particularly helpful to reserve jurisdiction if the parties have young children, as a family’s needs may change and one parent may wish to seek assistance from the other parent in facilitating their child’s college education.

Student Records: How They are Kept and Who Has Access

Since student records often contain confidential information such as grades, disciplinary history, and medical history, it is important for parents to understand what procedures school districts must follow when disclosing educational records either with or without parental consent. This section will provide parents with an overview of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the primary federal legislation guiding schools in the disclosure of student educational records.

Scenarios That Commonly Lead to School Residency Disputes

A previous article discussed what takes place if a parent’s son or daughter has been deemed ineligible for free school accommodations because the school board has determined he or she did not reside in the district. Undoubtedly the headaches and stress that accompany the hearing and appellate processes are nothing to sneeze at, so it is important for parents to do what they can to understand ahead of time the [common] situations that may call into question their child’s residency.

What Happens If Your Child is Denied Free School Accommodations Due to Residency Issues?

Under Connecticut law, school districts must provide free school accommodations, including transportation, to every child from age three to twenty-one (who has not yet graduated from high school) within the district so as to facilitate public school attendance.[1] Typically, the school administration will determine your child’s residency status before he or she first enrolls; this does not always happen, however, because it is not statutorily required. As a result, it is not uncommon for residency issues to arise after your child has already been attending classes at a particular school, and the school district has the right to exclude if it determines that your child really resides in another district.

School District Was Not on Notice of Inappropriate Teacher Conduct with Student; Negligence Action Dismissed

The Superior Court of Connecticut in the Judicial District of Middletown handed down its decision in a lawsuit filed by a former student (plaintiff) against the Town of Clinton as well as the board of education. In this case, the plaintiff “brought a direct claim against the defendants, alleging failure to supervise and negligent supervision” in violation of state law,[1] leading to his sexual abuse by a teacher while he was in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades.

Plaintiff’s Lawsuit Against Commissioner of Department of Motor Vehicles Barred by State’s Sovereign Immunity; Plaintiff Failed to Prove Any Exceptions Applied

In a criminal law matter, the Superior Court of Connecticut, Judicial District of Fairfield at Bridgeport dismissed a plaintiff’s action against the defendant Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), because she was barred under sovereign immunity doctrine from bringing suit.

Assignability of Non-Compete Agreements Under Connecticut Law in the Event of a Merger

Neopost USA, Inc. v. McCabe, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 105850

Enforcing Non-Competes Associated with Sale of Company and Goodwill

Ms. Dorothy Rogers owned a hair salon in Higganum, Connecticut called Dotties Creative Cuts and entered into an agreement to sell the company’s “assets, goodwill, and client lists” to Kim’s Hair Studio, LLC for the amount of $20,000.  This transaction essentially made Ms. Rogers a new employee of Kim’s hair Studio and as such, she was required to sign a non-compete agreement that prohibited her from offering competing services for twelve months after her termination within ten miles of 323 Saybrook Road, the primary work location of Kim’s Hair Studio.

Beware the Casual Employee Complaint

The United States Supreme Court had overturned long-standing law in the Federal Districts of Connecticut and New York with respect to employee claims of retaliation for registering a complaint with an employer under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“Act”). In this case note, we will tell you how the law changed, and how employers should adopt changes in policy and procedure to protect themselves from a new and difficult-to-defend source of employment-related liability.

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