MCKINNEY, Texas — A judge has ruled that a North Texas lesbian couple can’t live together because of a morality clause in one of the women’s divorce papers.
The clause is common in divorce cases in Texas and other states. It prevents a divorced parent from having a romantic partner spend the night while children are in the home. If the couple marries, they can get out from under the legal provision – but that is not an option for gay couples in Texas, where such marriages aren’t recognized.
The Dallas Morning News (http://dallasne.ws/16MlSUQ) reported that in a divorce hearing last month for Carolyn and Joshua Compton, Collin County District Judge John Roach Jr. enforced the terms detailed in their 2011 divorce papers. He ordered Carolyn Compton’s partner, Page Price, to move out of the home they shared with the Comptons’ two daughters, ages 10 and 13. The judge gave Price 30 days to find another place to live.
Paul Key said his client, Joshua Compton, wanted the clause enforced for his kids’ benefit.
“The fact that they can’t get married in Texas is a legislative issue,” Key said. “It’s not really our issue.”
The Comptons had been married for 11 years before their split. Carolyn Compton originally filed for divorce in September 2010.
Roach said the clause doesn’t target same-sex couples, adding that the language is gender neutral.
“It’s a general provision for the benefit of the children,” the judge said.
Price and Carolyn Compton said in a statement that they believe the clause is unconstitutional. But they also said they would comply with the order “even though it will be disruptive to their family and has the potential of being harmful to the children.”
They also said in the statement that the clause “is a burden on parents, regardless of their sexual orientation, that takes away and unreasonably limits their ability to make parental decisions of whom their children may be around and unreasonably limits what the United State Supreme Court has identified as the liberty of thought, belief and expression.”
They are considering whether to file an appeal.
In Collin County, the clause is part of the standing orders that apply to every divorce case filed and remains in force while the divorce is pending. In the case of the Comptons’ divorce, the clause was also added to their final divorce decree. It has no expiration date.
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Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
When officers arrived at Ariel Castro’s home in Cleveland, a crowd had formed on the porch.
CNN.com – Justice
A South Carolina computer expert defrauded Wal-Mart out of $ 624,000 through a sophisticated three-year DVD and pirate software scam, police said. Robert Milton, 49, was arrested by chance in April after he accidentally left his storage unit door open and a worker found piles of fake discs, driver’s licenses and pre-paid gift cards.
     |
Sentence watch.
Thx,
donchais
Filed under: Crime Tagged: Jennifer Willmott, Jodi Arias, Juan Martinez, Judge Sherry Stephens, Kirk Nurmi, Murder, Travis Alexander 
CALLS FOR JUSTICE
Hurricane season is less than two weeks away, but now is the time to start preparing, said Dick Gremillion, director of the
Calcasieu Office of Emergency Preparedness.
“Living where we do on the Gulf Coast, people always ask us, ‘What’s the chance of us getting a hurricane this year?’ ” he
said. “The answer to that is that it’s the same chance this year as it was last year and the year before — there is always
a chance for a hurricane.”
Gremillion said each year by the time hurricane season — June 1 to Nov. 30 — rolls around residents should have a plan in
place.
“If there is a plan, then there are no questions about what to do,” he said. “Have decisions made in advance, and then when
the conditions are there and the time comes residents can go ahead an execute that plan.”
Another important plan to have in place, Gremillion said, is a communication plan.
“Having a communication plan in place helps everyone know how to get in contact with you, where you are and where you’re going,”
he said. “That way there is less confusion.”
Preparedness items
According to the state’s Get a Game
Plan emergency preparedness website, essentials for a hurricane safety
kit include flashlights;
extra batteries; three gallons of water per person; a
battery-powered radio; first aid kits; forms of identification and a
list of essential medications for each person; evacuation route
maps; nonperishable food; items for infants or the elderly;
personal items; essentials for pets; clothing; and bedding.
Residents should also keep important paperwork in a waterproof container — driver’s license, Social Security cards, insurance
papers, birth and marriage certificates, wills and deeds.
The website — getagameplan.org — has a free iPhone app.
Hurricane preparedness information can also be found online at cppj.net and ready.gov.
This weekend, May 25-26, is the
hurricane preparedness sales tax holiday. For more information, visit
the state Revenue Department’s
website, revenue.louisiana.gov.
National Weather Service meteorologist Roger Erickson said hurricane predictions for the 2013 season will be released later
this week.
Businessman William Dore Sr. recently donated $ 500,000 to the St. Nicholas Center for Children in Lake Charles — money that
will go directly toward work on a new building.
The St. Nicholas Center, which provides services to children with autism, will name the new building — at 2519 Ryan St. —
the Dore Autism Complex in his honor.
“I was absolutely delighted because I knew what this would mean for children and families in Southwest Louisiana,” said Michelle
Mudd, executive board member.
Dore’s donation was part of St. Nicholas’ capital campaign, called Open the Door to Hope, which will allow the nonprofit to
expand its services.
“We are so excited. This is a great way to kick off our capital campaign,” said Stephanie Shaddock, assistant director. “Now
there is more space for the kids.”
There have been children on the waiting list at St. Nicholas, Mudd said. And with the acquisition of the new building, St.
Nicholas will be able to accommodate more children and families.
“At this new facility we will be able to increase the amount of therapists we have, which means we can increase the amount
of children we can accommodate, and we’ll have more space to do so,” Mudd said.
“We are so thrilled and (Dore) certainly has a heart for children. He understands that this is a need. This is not just a
luxury. These children need these services in order to survive and thrive and reach their full potential.”
St. Nicholas aims to be the state model for a pediatric medical facility that provides comprehensive therapy for children
with autism, Mudd said.
The center will be at its current location, 314 Broad St., until September.
Updated: CEO of Plano-based firm talks about $ 7.3 million settlement over Medicare fraud allegations
Updated post: A Plano-based firm has agreed to pay $ 7.3 million to resolve allegations that a company it acquired submitted false Medicare claims for more drugs than were actually administered to dialysis patients, the U.S. Justice Department has announced.
Federal officials alleged that Dialysis Corporation of America violated the False Claims Act. The company was acquired by U.S. Renal Care, which is headquartered in Plano, in June 2010.
Chris Brengard, the CEO of U.S. Renal Care, said in a letter to employees Tuesday that the firm was aware of the litigation pending against Dialysis Corporation of America, but took it over “knowing that we would need to resolve it.”
He said he was pleased that an agreement with the government had been reached.
“While we denied all of the allegations in the litigation, we believed it was in the best interest of the company to put this matter behind us,” Brengard wrote. “Moving forward, I want each and every one of you to know our commitment to the highest standards of compliance.”.
Here’s more information on the case from the Justice Department.
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The standoff at the Ross Avenue apartments ended peacefully about 6:45 a.m.
Updated, 6:46 a.m.:
Ross Avenue has reopened after being shut down this morning … [visit site to read more]
In January 1981, Suzanne Maria Rossetti was happy, carefree – living life to the fullest. As such was life the night she pulled into the U-Totem convenience store on Van Buren Street in Tempe, Arizona. It was a pit stop, intended only to waste the few minutes before she was to meet her parents at [...]
The post Evil Intentions: The Story of How an Act of Kindness Led to Senseless Murder by Ronald J. Watkins (February 1992) appeared first on True Crime Zine.
Former defensive player of the year Charles Woodson had the chance to sign with either the Super Bowl-contending Denver Broncos or the lowly Oakland Raiders. And last night, he chose the Raiders…
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