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Virginia Lawyers Weekly - Family Law — Requires manual review
Source contains recent content (2026). Type: digest. Requires manual case/citation extraction and verification.
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Domestic Relations: Circuit court properly corrected final decree nunc pro tunc
Recent family law decision or ruling
Domestic Relations: Court finds that wife abandoned the marriage
Recent family law decision or ruling
Parent and child: Parental rights terminated because of mother’s abuse
Recent family law decision or ruling
Aragh v. Abedini — WDVA Orders Child Returned to Turkey Under Hague Convention
The Western District of Virginia granted the mother’s ICARA petition and ordered the child returned to Turkey after finding Turkey was the child’s habitual residence and the father’s removal breached the mother’s custodial rights under Turkish law. The mother had promptly exercised those rights through police, counsel, and Hague Convention authorities. The father failed to prove his asserted defenses, including that the child was well-settled, grave risk, fundamental human-rights principles, or consent. Practical takeaway: counsel should develop country-of-habitual-residence evidence, foreign custody law, prompt-return efforts, and proof supporting any Article 12, 13, or 20 defense. VLW 026-3-302; Case No. 6:26-cv-00071.
Aragh v. Abedini, VLW 026-3-302 (W.D. Va. July 20, 2026)
VSB Three-Month Suspension: Paul Christopher Galanides — Competence, Scope, Communication, and Fees Violations
Effective at close of business July 24, 2026, a three-judge panel of Richmond Circuit Court suspended Paul Christopher Galanides from Virginia practice for three months, with term, for violating rules governing competence, scope of representation, communication, and fees. VSB Docket No. 25-031-134547; Circuit Court No. CL26-2173.
VSB Docket No. 25-031-134547; Circuit Court No. CL26-2173
VSB Public Reprimand Without Terms: John Claxton Cherry III — Competence, Diligence, Scope, Communication, and Conflict Violations
Effective July 24, 2026, the Seventh District Subcommittee issued John Claxton Cherry III a public reprimand without terms for violating professional rules governing competence, diligence, scope of representation, communication, and conflict of interest. This was an agreed disposition. VSB Docket No. 26-070-137370.
VSB Docket No. 26-070-137370
Arader v. Arader — CAV Affirms Judgment on Nonpayment of Support; Waiver Under Rule 5A:18
CAV affirmed trial court judgment finding evidence of nonpayment of support. Trial court did not abuse its discretion; finding was supported by credible evidence. Remaining arguments waived as endorsing decree 'seen and objected to' did not preserve issues for appeal under Rule 5A:18. Practice note: a general 'seen and objected to' endorsement does not preserve specific issues for appellate review.
Record No. 1276-25-4 (Va. Ct. App. July 28, 2026) (unpublished)
Agah v. Nazhandali — CAV Affirms Spousal Support and Equitable Distribution Award; Property Settlement Agreement Interpretation Upheld
CAV affirmed trial court's spousal support and equitable distribution determination, holding no abuse of discretion. Trial court did not err in interpreting the property settlement agreement. Claims regarding mehr obligation and error denying motion to amend record were waived under Rules 5A:18 and 5A:20(e). Practice note: PSA interpretation disputes and mehr/religious-obligation arguments must be properly preserved for appeal.
Record No. 0652-25-3 (Va. Ct. App. July 28, 2026) (unpublished)
Cipcic v. Hagen — CAV Dismisses Appeal from J&DR Custody/Visitation Modification as Untimely (10-Day Deadline Under § 16.1-296(A))
CAV dismissed appeal from juvenile court order modifying custody and visitation as untimely. Appeal was not taken within 10 days as required by Code § 16.1-296(A). Motion to amend order to change date was not a correction but a fiction not permitted under § 8.01-428(B). Filing of timely appeal is jurisdictional. Motion for appellate attorney fees denied. Practice note: J&DR custody/visitation appeals have a strict 10-day deadline; post-order motions to amend dates will not cure a late appeal.
Record No. 0441-25-1 (Va. Ct. App. July 28, 2026) (unpublished)
VSB Virginia Lawyer Referral Service Waives $35 Fee for Record Sealing Referrals Through June 2027
The Virginia Lawyer Referral Service (VLRS) is waiving its standard $35 administrative fee for record sealing referrals through June 30, 2027, to make it easier for individuals to obtain legal advice about record sealing under Virginia's new law. VLRS is also waiving the 10% remittance fee for participating attorneys on record sealing matters. VLRS is actively recruiting attorneys to accept record sealing referrals. Family-law relevance: record sealing intersects with custody determinations, employment stability, and housing access — all factors in best-interest analyses and parenting-plan evaluations. Attorneys handling family-law matters should be aware of this resource for clients with criminal records.
SCOTUS Grants Cert — International Partners for Ethical Care v. Ferguson: Parental Standing to Challenge Gender-Transition Concealment Policies
On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in International Partners for Ethical Care, Inc. v. Ferguson, No. 25-840, on appeal from the Ninth Circuit. The question presented is whether parents have Article III standing to challenge a law or policy that deliberately displaces their parental decision-making role — here, a Washington law permitting youth shelters to withhold a runaway minor's location from parents when the minor seeks "protected health care services," including gender-transition care. The case follows the Court's recent parental-rights docket, including Mirabelli v. Bonta, and the standing ruling will shape how parents nationwide — including in Virginia — can challenge statutes and school or agency policies affecting custody and minor-consent rights. Argument is expected in the October Term 2026; on July 23, 2026, petitioners moved for an extension of time in the merits briefing schedule.
Int'l Partners for Ethical Care, Inc. v. Ferguson, No. 25-840 (U.S. cert. granted June 29, 2026)
Leiser v. Virginia State Bar — SCV Affirms Three-Year Suspension for Rules 8.2 and 8.4(b) Violations
The Supreme Court of Virginia affirmed a three-judge circuit court's finding that attorney Leiser violated Rules of Professional Conduct 8.2 and 8.4(b) and upheld a three-year suspension of his license to practice law. Record No. 251120.
Record No. 251120