Court systems worldwide and far back in history have recognized the need for a system of justice that allows victims of wrongdoing to seek compensation for the damages caused by the wrongdoer. This part of the justice system focuses not on punishing the wrongdoer as in the criminal justice system, but on imposing civil liability to compel the wrongdoer to compensate the person they’ve wronged for the economic damages and pain and suffering their action caused. The word “tort” stems…

Most states in the U.S. consider age 18 as the age of majority, in which children become legal adults. However, in Colorado, child emancipation occurs at age 19. While this unique feature of Colorado law has little impact on many families, for divorced parents with child support orders issued by the Colorado family courts, it’s important to fully understand the state’s child emancipation laws. In Colorado, the child support obligation continues until the youngest child named in the support order…

In personal injury law in Colorado and other states, when a jury renders a verdict finding the defendant liable for damages in a civil case, the jury awards an amount of monetary compensation to the victim. If either side strongly disagrees with the amount of compensation awarded, one way to address this is through additur or remittitur. Using a motion for additur or remittitur to seek an increase or decrease in the jury award is an option that addresses an…

Divorce and co-parenting with an ex-spouse is often challenging, but when you believe your children may not be safe with the other parent or are in an unsafe situation when in the custody of your ex-spouse, it’s particularly distressing and requires immediate action. Colorado courts place the best interests of a child as their highest priority in any ruling, including in matters of child custody. If you believe your children are in immediate danger, call the police to report the…

Colorado family courts always place the best interests of a child as their highest priority. With that in mind, judges give careful consideration to child support orders and issue them to prevent children from suffering a significant change in their lifestyles and to keep one parent from bearing the brunt of the burden of providing for the children of a marriage or partnership. For this reason, it’s challenging to fight a court order for back child support. When circumstances drastically…