Lawrenceburg Legal Issues Blog

Coordinating your kids' eating habits as co-parents

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in family law on Monday, July 22, 2019.

When you and your co-parent worked out your custody and visitation agreement and even your more detailed parenting plan, you may not have considered addressing your children's nutrition and diet. However, those can suffer when children move between two homes.

Likely, you and your co-parent don't have precisely the same views about your children's diet. However, you should at least work together to commit to choosing healthy, nutritious foods and snacks for your kids, both when they're at home and when you go out to eat. That includes packing a healthy lunch to take to school when they're staying with you.

Are you and your child victims of parenting time interference?

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in family law on Tuesday, July 9, 2019.

A detailed, well-crafted parenting plan can help co-parenting go smoothly after divorce. Both parents and the kids know what the parenting time schedule is so that parents can arrange their lives accordingly, and kids have a sense of routine that's crucial when they're dividing their time between homes.

Having a parenting plan in place also allows parents to clearly identify when their ex isn't adhering to the schedule, and if necessary, take action through the court. Any failure to adhere to the plan that isn't necessitated by some type of unforeseen circumstance or emergency can be considered parenting time interference. It's important for parents to recognize interference when it occurs. Some examples include:

Not dropping a child off with the other parent at the scheduled time
Not picking a child up from the parent they're with at the scheduled time
Canceling custody or visitation days
Not letting a parent have the child on their designated days
Preventing a parent from attending a child-related event, meeting or activity (including not informing them about it)
Consistently failing to attend these events, meetings and activities
Not letting a child see or speak to the other parent
Saying derogatory things to or in front of a child about the other parent
Taking a child outside of the designated area (for example, to another state) without permission

The special dangers of teens driving teens

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in personal injury on Friday, June 28, 2019.

Teen drivers have developed a reputation for unsafe driving behaviors like using their phones, speeding and driving under the influence. Of course, every teen is different and some are very safe and conscientious drivers -- maybe safer than their parents.

However, one of the potentially deadliest things a teen driver can do is have another teen in the car with them. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, when the only passengers in a car with a teen driver are other teens, the fatality rate increases by over 50%. That falls by 8% when there's an adult of at least 35 riding in the car with the teen driver.

What you need to know about arrests and talking to police

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe on Thursday, June 20, 2019.

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding what happens when an individual suspected of a crime has contact with police. For instance, you may know you have rights, but aren't sure when they apply.

You may know that police must follow certain rules and laws when it comes to arrests and interrogations, but you don't know what they are or when they apply. Knowing is half the battle, so keep reading for some basic information that could help you one day.

There's more to teen distracted driving than using their phone

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in personal injury on Sunday, June 9, 2019.

With summer in full swing, more than the usual number of teen drivers are on the road. We know that over half of all crashes involving teens are caused by distracted driving. However, the primary cause of that distraction may surprise you.

We generally associate distracted driving with talking and texting on cellphones -- and that's certainly a problem. However, more teen distracted driving crashes are caused by passengers (15%) according to a AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study than anything else. That's even higher than texting (12%).

How do you co-parent with a person you hardly know?

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in family law on Wednesday, May 29, 2019.

You had a fling during a business trip to Chicago and then you each returned to your lives, planning never to see one another again. Maybe you had a one-night stand, thanks to Tinder or possibly too many tequila shots, with someone you barely remember except that they left their number in your phone. Now there's a baby, and both of you want to be involved. How do you make that work?

Co-parenting is difficult for couples who were together for many years before they split up. How do you find a way to co-parent with someone with whom you never had a relationship?

4 motorists are seriously injured in a Ripley County crash

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in personal injury on Friday, May 17, 2019.

Several motorists were seriously injured when a 23-year-old Lawrenceburg resident drove her General Motors Company (GMC) sports utility vehicle (SUV) into oncoming traffic on the afternoon of May 9.

According to Indiana State Police, the motorist who is believed to have caused the crash was apparently traveling southbound along United States Highway 421 just before the crash. It was right before 3:30 p.m. that she suddenly crossed the roadway's center line into oncoming traffic.

Know how it works when you 'plead the Fifth'

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in Criminal Law on Friday, May 3, 2019.

Almost every American adult probably knows that he or she can "plead the Fifth" and rely on his or her Constitutional right against self-incrimination. However, there are some rules that go along with relying on that Fifth Amendment that you should understand in order to fully protect yourself.

1. You have the right to rely on the Fifth during any police questioning

The personal injury legal realm: broadly encompassing and complex

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe posted in personal injury on Friday, April 26, 2019.

A fundamental point that looms as obvious in the personal injury legal realm underscores just how widely encompassing that universe is.

Injury victims in Indiana and elsewhere suffer harm from a wide variety of catalysts and sources. Legions of people are of course injured in motor vehicle accidents. Sometimes they are drivers or occupants in passenger cars and trucks. Accidents also yield adverse consequences for motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The more you know about Indiana DUI law, the better off you'll be

On behalf of Attorney David L. Zerbe on Thursday, April 25, 2019.

Most people know that the legal limit for blood alcohol content when driving is 0.08. As long as you aren't above that level, you are okay. Right?

Well, it isn't always that simple. Certain individuals must meet much lower limits because they have a higher standard to hold. In addition, you also need to know what you could face if convicted of one or more DUIs, called OWIs here in Indiana, which stands for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.