In Maryland, a pendente lite hearing (“PL hearing”) is a hearing that takes place while a divorce or child custody action is still in the process of litigation. The purpose of this hearing is to provide a temporary order before the final hearing takes place.

When a PL hearing is requested by either one or both parties, the court may order a hearing on the next available court date. This request can either be made in writing or orally and is usually made at the parties’ Scheduling Conference. The court will also set time limits for the hearing which usually is up to three (3) hours. The hearing can take into consideration issues like child custody and visitation, child support, alimony, and attorney’s fees. The purpose of this hearing is to maintain status quo and provide some immediate stability while the parties await their final trial.

At the PL hearing, the parties can each testify and call their own witnesses. They can also present evidence that will help substantiate their claims. To obtain more information about what a PL order means and how it may impact your case, please call us at (443) 741-2567 and we would be happy to answer all of your questions.

Child support is a court-ordered payment that is for the benefit of your child(ren). Once child support is established through a Maryland court order, the payor must pay their monthly child support payment. If child support is not paid, there are serious consequences which may include:

1. Wage garnishment;

2. Loss of driving privileges;

3. Repayment of the child support plus fines;

4. Possible jail time and fines if found in contempt of court.

If you are struggling to make your child support payments, you should file for a petition for modification of the current order as soon as possible. You will have to prove to the court as to why your child support should be modified.

What is the discovery process? Formal discovery is a process designed to gather information from the other party that can later be used as evidence to support your case at trial. There are various methods to the discovery process which may include interrogatories, request for production of documents, depositions, requests for admissions of fact, and subpoenas. The most commonly used discovery tools are interrogatories and requests for production of documents.

Interrogatories are a series of questions that must be answered under oath that usually seek information about you, the case, your finances, the circumstances that led to you either filing or defending the case, etc. In certain circumstances, one can object to answering the interrogatories if the information that is sought is objectionable. The requests for production of documents are a series of requests that seek documentary evidence from the other party. Similar to the interrogatories, if the requests are objectionable, your attorney will help you identify and note each objection.

The discovery process is not only time consuming, but can also be very expensive. It is however, an important part of your case that cannot be skipped or it can have an adverse effect on the outcome of your case. If you would like to schedule a consultation regarding your case, please call us at 443-741-2567.