Articles and publications

Jacqueline Bontzolakes, 38, of Tonawanda, N.Y., took two minor children out of the country in violation of the custody arrangements set by the Erie County (N.Y.) Family Court and without the knowledge or permission of their fathers.

Jacqueline Bontzolakes, 38, of Tonawanda, N.Y., took two minor children out of the country in violation of the custody arrangements set by the Erie County (N.Y.) Family Court and without the knowledge or permission of their fathers. Read More »

A Lakewood woman was sentenced to 13 months in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to taking her two children to Mexico to keep them from their father, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

A Lakewood woman was sentenced to 13 months in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to taking her two children to Mexico to keep them from their father, officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Read More »

On the Procedure for Departure From the Russian Federation and Admission Into the Russian Federation

Article 21 of the Federal Act provides that, if one of the parents declares his or her disagreement with a minor child’s travel outside the Russian Federation, all issues regarding the child’s travel outside the Russian Federation are resolved in court. It means that either parent can prevent the child's travel outside the Russian Federation by submitting a statement of disagreement to the territorial body of the Federal Migration Service at the place of residence (stay), or to the border control authority, or to the diplomatic mission (consular office) of the Russian Federation, without specifying the reasons for that disagreement.
Position or opinion of the second parent as to such statement has no legal significance in the imposition of the travel ban. The disagreement of one parent is sufficient to ban travel by a minor child outside of Russia until the resolution of the judicial dispute. Read More »

International Divorce between Ivanovo and New York

Sovetsky District Court of city of Ivanovo,
Consisting of
Presiding Judge [name keeps in secret],
in the presence of the Secretary [name keeps in secret],
with participation of the representative of the Plaintiff, [name keeps in secret],
the interested person, [name keeps in secret],
and Karina Duvall, as representative of the interested person,
having considered, in an open court hearing, the case of appeal of Plaintiff against the decision of Justice of the Peace of the Judicial District No. 2, Sovetsky Judicial District of Ivanovo, dated May 2, 2017, to dismiss the divorce action filed by Plaintiff against Defendant,

FOUND: Read More »

Russia's Economic Crisis Spurs Drop in Divorces

The unromantic perspective is shared by Karina Duvall, an attorney and expert on Russian law, who also thinks it’s financial issues, rather than renewed marital bliss causing the shift in statistics. “I think that the reduction in the number of divorces in 2015 has nothing to do with the fact that Russians began to love each other,” she says. “We all know that Russia is in a deep crisis because of the sanctions, lower oil prices, the fall of the rouble, an increase in prices for goods.” Read More »