California divorce courts go to dogs as pets gain statusAssociated Press / September 29, 2018
FILE – In this Feb. 23, 2012, file photo, Steven May, right, walks with his dog, Winnie beside his attorney, David Pisarra, with his dog, Dudley in Santa Monica, California. California courts could be going to the dogs, and maybe the cats too, under a new law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The law, signed Thursday, Sept. 28, 2018, gives judges the discretion of applying rules similar to those in child-custody cases when determining who gets the family pet following a divorce. It takes effect Jan. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)
LOS ANGELES — California courts could be going to the dogs — and maybe cats, too — under a new law granting judges authority to settle disagreements over who keeps the family pet in divorce cases the same way they handle child-custody disputes.
Until now, Fido and Kitty have been considered family property, a status giving them little more standing in a divorce than a family’s big-screen TV.
Under a bill signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown, pets will still be considered community property but a judge deciding who gets to keep them will have the discretion of weighing such factors as who feeds them, who takes them to the vet and on walks, and who protects them.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=89768.0