Shalimar Law Blog

A fraternity and five of its members at the University of Central Florida (UCF) are being sued by a young woman who says that one of those students, her former boyfriend, shared intimate videos and photos of her in a Facebook group known as the Dog Pound without her knowledge or permission. That secret Facebook group allegedly contained images of multiple women engaged in sexual activity.

The woman, who attends college in Arizona, knew about and sent her long-distance boyfriend some of the images during their relationship in late 2017 and early 2018. However, at least one video was made without her knowledge, according to the suit. She says she learned that the images had been shared when she saw a text message to her boyfriend from someone who referenced a video. One video, in which the woman's face can be seen, was allegedly shown during a fraternity house meeting and has been seen by some 200 people.

A recent Florida federal civil rights suit received nationwide media attention largely for the amount of money awarded to the plaintiffs by the jury -- $4.

The defendant in the case was the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office. The plaintiffs were the family of a man killed four years ago by a deputy. Two deputies came to his home to investigate a noise complaint involving loud music.

Families look a lot different today than they did decades ago — they come in all variations. Most everyone would agree that the most important thing is that kids are loved and cared-for. Of course, people have markedly different opinions on what that means.

Courts all over the country have ruled that three people can be recognized as a child's parents — to some degree. These cases have involved men who helped lesbian couples have children (as was the case in a 2013 Florida court ruling that allowed all three parents' names on a child's birth certificate), biological mothers, fathers, stepparents and also surrogates who carried a child for a couple. The goal of these parents was to have a legally-recognized role in their children's lives.

Family law attorneys frequently have clients who have stayed in unhappy, unhealthy marriages for too long. Often, people stay out of fear. What kinds of fear keep people in bad marriages?

Fear of change can keep people from taking all kinds of steps they need to take for a better life, including ending a marriage. A key change that people fear if they end their marriage is being alone. However, divorced people often learn to be comfortable without someone always around and even to enjoy being alone. They also realize that they aren't alone, but have friends, family and many other people in their lives.