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Navigating Divorce – A Panel Discussion

10.06.2023 Written by: Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

Is it time for a change in your life? Divorce can be a challenging journey, but you don’t have to go through it alone. If you’re considering divorce, join us for a free live panel discussion and get your questions answered by a team of experienced professionals.

Date: Thursday, October 26th  
Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM  
Location: Plymouth Community Center – Birch Room  
Address: 14800 34th Ave N, Plymouth, MN 55447  
Refreshments Provided

Join Henningson & Snoxell, LTD family law attorney Jennifer M. Nixon and a panel that includes a financial professional, family therapist, divorce coach, and divorce mortgage expert.

Space is limited; reserve your spot today at Eventbrite or Meetup. It’s time to take the first step towards a brighter future.

Don’t let the uncertainties of divorce keep you spinning. Empower yourself with knowledge and support from compassionate professionals. We’ll see you there!

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May is National Elder Law Month. Elder law attorneys are distinct from estate planning attorneys. While they may offer similar services, elder law attorneys bring additional knowledge to the table that benefits elderly and disabled individuals and their families. 

Elder law attorneys can provide many different types of services such as assisting in the setup of long-term care and Medicaid planning, Medicare appeals, long-term care contract reviews, special needs planning, and more. By working with families and providers in the elder law field daily, we develop connections and resources that help our clients navigate the challenging elder care system more effectively. 

Our elder law attorneys bring peace and predictability to families of aging loved ones or loved ones with disabilities.  We offer emergency services that meet the client and their family where they are and help them connect with resources to ensure their needs are met. Our services range from helping get conservatorships and guardianships to working with family members, care facilities, and the county to obtain assistance with paying for care costs. Our elder law attorneys provide a wide array of services that help take the stress off of families during some of the most challenging times. 

Henningson & Snoxell has elder law attorneys who are able to help you and your loved ones navigate this complex area. Call or email us today to get in contact with one of our knowledgeable elder law attorneys.

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Dementia & Guns: A Deadly Combination

01.12.2022 Written by: Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

There is a side to gun ownership that is not often discussed: what happens when a gun owner is no longer capable of safely owning or using his or her guns?

It is tragic when an individual with dementia ends up shooting a loved one.

Individuals who develop dementia frequently experience hallucinations or have times where they do not recognize the people around them.  This can be especially problematic if the individual has access to guns.  The individual may incorrectly believe someone they know is a stranger and that he or she needs to defend themselves.  It is tragic when such an individual ends up shooting a loved one.  In West Virginia, a grandfather with dementia thought he saw intruders entering his home, so he grabbed his Glock that he kept under his pillow and shot his wife and granddaughter.  The granddaughter was able to call for help, but the grandmother did not survive. 

Unfortunately, this can and does happen not only in other states but also right here in Minnesota. For families of loved ones with dementia, we commonly grapple with the question of when to take the car away.  Families should also discuss when the guns should be removed from the home or stored in a secure location for safety purposes.  This is a difficult conversation and the loved one may be in the denial stage of dementia.  In situations like this, families may need to involve the courts to initiate a proceeding to have the individual’s guns confiscated. 

Decide what to do with your firearms.

To prevent court intervention, families should engage in the conversations early on in an individual’s diagnosis so that the individual can be involved in deciding what to do with the firearms, to whom the firearms should go after they pass, or whether to voluntarily give them up.  For caretakers and family members, it is best to get this plan in writing and signed by the person when there is a voluntary relinquishment of the firearms.  This will be helpful in the future should the individual forget about the arrangement and make accusations that someone stole the guns.

Families may be forced to deal with this situation before they can bring caregivers or home health into the home.  Such agencies have policies that require that any firearms or weapons in the home be removed before their employees can come to the home.  By having a plan in place and removing the guns before there is a need for home health care or in-home assistance, families can avoid additional stress. 

If your family has a loved one who has been diagnosed with dementia, be sure to speak with physicians, elder law attorneys, or care coordinators to help you understand the ins and outs of what is to come. 

Our elder law concierge service at Henningson & Snoxell provides family with a personal touch to help navigate the chaos that comes with a loved one with a dementia diagnosis. Please reach out to see how we can help you and your family through this challenging time.


Rachell L. Henning

Rachell Henning is an Elder Law attorney that brings a wealth of personal and professional experience to her practice.  From an early age, Rachell has been dedicated to assisting elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities to live their lives to the fullest.

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TO VACCINATE OR NOT TO VACCINATE: What happens when parents disagree?

03.31.2021 Written by: Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

Family law attorneys and courts across the country have been working hard to help families navigate these ever-uncertain times. In particular, the vaccination of children poses unique legal challenges. What happens when two parents with joint legal custody disagree on whether a child should receive the COVID-19 vaccination? To best answer that question, we will explore several factors that Minnesota courts may look to in determining what is in the child’s best interest.

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5 Tips for COVID Co-Parenting

02.24.2021 Written by: Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

9 Tips for COVID Co-Parenting

Co-parenting under “normal” circumstances can prove to be challenging enough, but with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic thrown in the mix, challenges abound. Because there’s so much to talk about when it comes to co-parenting in the middle of a pandemic, we’re doing a two-part series of blog posts. Read our first 5 tips for COVID co-parenting, below:

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What Happens to Spousal Maintenance at Retirement?

05.30.2019 Written by: Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

Spousal Maintenance - Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

The award of permanent spousal maintenance does not mean it will be paid forever. It means until the payor’s death, the recipient’s remarriage or a substantial change in the financial circumstances that makes the original award unreasonable and unfair. The payor’s retirement can be a substantial change in the circumstances. See Minnesota Statutes 518A.39.

Unless the divorce decree specifically identifies what happens at retirement, permanent spousal maintenance does not automatically end at the payor’s retirement. If the divorce decree does not specify what happens at retirement, at that time the payor can bring a motion to modify spousal maintenance and the obligation may end, be modified or remain unchanged. If the original award was permanent maintenance, it is the payor’s burden to establish the substantial change in circumstances.

 

In the past the usual age of retirement was 65. Except for a few professions, today there is no mandatory retirement age. If contested, when the spousal maintenance payor retires he or she has the burden to show the decision to retire was in good faith and not for the purpose of avoiding the maintenance obligation. The closer the payor is to age 65, the court is more likely to determine the decision to retire was made in good faith. However, there are circumstances when retiring before age 65 is appropriate. If the spousal maintenance recipient claims the payor is retiring in bad faith, the court will consider a number of factors:

  • The payor’s health;
  • The payor’s employment history;
  • The parties’ plans and expectations for early retirement before the divorce;
  • The employer’s policies and industry standards relating to the age of retirement;
  • The payor’s financial circumstances; and,
  • All other reasons given to retire.

The process is complicated because typically before bringing a motion, the payor needs to actually retire and the decision to retire maybe connected to whether the spousal maintenance obligation will be changed. Before deciding to retire or announcing your retirement, it is wise to consult with an attorney. If you are the maintenance recipient and receive notice of the payor’s intention to retire, it is also appropriate to promptly communicate with experienced legal counsel.

If the Court determines the payor was acting in good faith, the court looks at the parties’ incomes, assets and expenses. If both parties have post retirement income that provides for their reasonable expenses, spousal maintenance should end. However, the Minnesota Supreme Court recently decided, even at the age of retirement the maintenance recipient is not required to use the retirement assets they were awarded in the divorce decree to support themselves at retirement. Many lawyers do not understand this decision.

Minnesota case law provides the maintenance recipient does not get a “second bite of the apple”. In other words, the payor is not required to pay spousal maintenance from marital assets previously divided in the original divorce decree. However, income earned from the assets and retirement accounts awarded in the original divorce decree can be considered when evaluating the payor’s ability to pay and the recipient’s need for maintenance.

When the court evaluates the payor’s ability to pay maintenance, it considers the assets acquired by the payor after the divorce and the payor’s pre-marital assets that were not considered in the original divorce settlement. This means if the maintenance payor is financially successful after the divorce, he or she may have a more difficult argument establishing a substantial change in the circumstances that makes the original maintenance award unreasonable and unfair.

In assessing the spousal maintenance need, the court must consider all the income from the requesting spouse. The spouse seeking maintenance is not required to sell-off assets to provide for his or her needs. However, the income or return generated from the recipient’s estate will be considered. In a recent Minnesota Supreme Court case, the Court ruled that the recipient of maintenance was required to move her cash and invest in a more “income producing” investment.

Not surprisingly, the decision to retire and request a change in spousal maintenance can result in litigation. To avoid uncertainty and surprise at retirement, it would be helpful to agree what happens to spousal maintenance when the initial divorce terms are decided. However, with the emotions at the time of divorce, this negotiation can be difficult.

In the future, we expect legislative changes to the spousal maintenance statute and case law that will clarify what is considered when the payor seeks to modify spousal maintenance at retirement.

Modification of spousal maintenance is difficult, subjective and the related law is constantly changing. It also makes a difference if the original spousal maintenance award was permanent, permanent with step reductions or temporary. If you are involved in a spousal maintenance modification case, we recommend consulting with an experienced family law attorney at Henningson & Snoxell.

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Minnesota’s New Child Support Law

05.14.2019 Written by: Henningson & Snoxell, Ltd.

Initial-Consult_Divorce_Attorney

Minnesota’s new child support law that went into effect in August 2018 addresses basic child support, childcare support and medical support, just like the old law did. Just like the old law, the new law does not address many children’s expenses such as extracurriculars, school expenses and phones which would seem to be “shared” expenses that both parents should contribute towards their cost.

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