Blog Posts

The head of Musi, Merkins, Daubenberger & Clark, LLP’s Family Law Department, Lucas A. Clark, IV, Esquire, was retained to take a custody case to trial that involved two parents operating under a 50/50 shared physical custody order who were both fighting for primary physical custody of their 15-year-old son.  The parties had this shared physical custody arrangement in place for years and lived very close to one another.  However, throughout this case and at trial, Luke focused mainly on the co-parenting issues between the parties that needed to be highlighted in order to show the Court that primary physical custody should be awarded to his client, who is the mother of the child.  Additionally, some major points highlighted during the trial that helped Luke obtain this victory were the well-reasoned preference of the child based on the child’s maturity and judgment as well as the attempts of one of the parents to turn the child against the other parent.  The Court found both of these factors to be in favor of the mother and this ultimately led the Court to find that the 16 factors of the Best Interest Test, which the Court is required to set forth and…

The End of Moratorium On August 26, 2021, the United States Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Moratorium on evictions is unconstitutional. The Court found that the CDC did not have the constitutional authority to issue a national moratorium, and any further moratorium would need to come from the legislature. The federal moratorium on evictions was previously extended until October 3, 2021, for all United States counties facing a high spread of coronavirus. Practically speaking, this accounted for 95% of the nation. With the latest Supreme Court Ruling, that extension is over. What Does this Mean for Landlords? Many landlords across Pennsylvania have not been receiving regular rent since the first CDC moratorium went into effect in 2020.  Some landlords have not received any rent at all.  With the latest Supreme Court ruling, landlords are once again free to seek eviction of tenants who are past due on rent. While the moratorium stayed evictions, it did not stay the requirement for rent. With the moratorium now over, landlords may freely seek all past due rent, and eviction. Depending upon the lease agreement, landlords may also seek a judgment for any attorney fees,…

What is an Expungement? An expungement is the process the removing criminal charges from a person’s record. Only certain people qualify for expungement. If an expungement is granted, the court will order all agencies with a record of the arrest or conviction erased. Why are expungements important? A criminal history can greatly impact a person’s life.  A record can hinder a person’s ability to secure employment, professional licensing (nursing, contractors, therapists etc..), education, adoption, and housing.  Without an expungement, a background check will show all charges, regardless of whether you were found innocent or guilty. Who is Eligible for expungement? Only certain people are eligible for expungement. The following qualify: Individuals accepted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program (ARD). Persons charged, but never convicted. Those people 21 or older, who were convicted of underage drinking at or over the age of 18, who have satisfied all the conditions of their sentence, including but not limited to drivers license suspension. Persons who are 70 years or older and have been free from conviction for 10 or more years. Persons found guilty of a summary offense, who have been free from arrest for 5 or more years following the conviction. Persons whose…

A recent case taken on by the head of our Family Law Department, Lucas A. Clark, IV, Esquire, is a prime example of the type of Children and Youth Services matters handled by Musi, Merkins, Daubenberger & Clark.  The matter began at the trial court level in the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County with three different hearings on three separate dates earlier this year.  During these proceedings, which involved CYS, two minor children and their mother, the focus was on the children’s mother’s mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as her ability to parent.  While reunification between the children and their mother was the original goal pursued by the Court and CYS in these hearings, that goal was eventually abandoned, and the agency pursued termination of the mother’s parental rights.  The trial court, after hearing all of the evidence and witness testimony that was provided to the Court, and discussing the needs of the children, ultimately terminated the mother’s parental rights.  The trial court felt that the current placement of the children was good situation for them, and it would be in their best interest if they stayed there.  Lastly, the Court confirmed that the goal…

In 2016, Partner Rich Daubenberger was interviewed by NBC10 to provide legal commentary on the Bill Cosby case.  Mr. Daubenberger anticipated the outcome of the case during his NBC interview. Rich has had a successful career thanks to his undergraduate education at Syracuse University, as well as receiving his Juris Doctorate from Villanova University School of Law. Due to almost 25 years of experience as a prosecutor and defense attorney in the area of criminal law, as well as past experience as a District Attorney, Rich was able to make this prediction using his knowledge of the court system and the law. See 2:32 into the following link. During the time of Rich Daubenberger’s interview with NBC10, Bill Cosby was facing criminal charges for drugging and sexually assaulting a Temple University employee. Prior to Cosby’s final conviction, District Attorney Bruce Castor had made an agreement with Cosby which promised that if Cosby gave up his right to remain silent during a deposition in a civil lawsuit, then the District Attorney would not pursue criminal charges. This agreement was recorded in an email by Castor, but the new Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele still filed criminal charges against Cosby. Due…