Blog Posts in 2015

R.I. Supreme Court Rules on Post-Divorce Life Insurance Case

The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently decided an interesting post divorce property division case. The parties had reached an agreement whereby they would "cash in forthwith" life insurance policies, annuities, and investment policies and equally divide them. However, prior to the service of the divorce summons on this husband, he had already changed the beneficiary designations on his life ...

Grandparents visitation rights in Rhode Island

Under Rhode Island law grandparents and relatives have the right to petition the Family Court to visit with a grandchild and other relatives. Frequently it occurs that during or after a divorce grandparents or relatives have been shunned by one spouse. Additionally, visitation with a family member or grandparent is sometimes curtailed when one of the child's parents has died. In the first scenario ...

Robert Sgroi Named 2015 Kent County Lawyer of the Year

McIntyre Tate LLP partner Robert J. Sgroi was recently named the 2015 Lawyer of the Year by the Kent County Bar Association. The announcement of the award was made at the Kent County Bar Association's annual Christmas party held in Warwick on December 10, 2015. The Association recognized Bob's service to the legal community and his clients as well as his expertise in family law and the criminal ...

New restrictions on surrogacy

Foreign Couples in Limbo After India Restricts Surrogacy Services New rules barring foreigners from hiring surrogate mothers force them to plan their next steps JOANNA SUGDEN AND ADITI MALHOTRA Wall Street Journal Gea Bassett and Doug Smith of Seattle counted on a surrogacy service in India to fulfill their years' long desire to have a second child. Now the couple is scrambling to recover their ...

Rhode Island Supreme Court Adoption Decision

The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently ruled that the parental termination provisions in the Rhode Island adoption laws were not subject to challenge on constitutional grounds. After his rights were terminated over his children, a father appealed to the Supreme Court alleging that Rhode Island Supreme Court precedent violated a parent's due process rights under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. ...

Stephen Prignano quoted about drone operations

McIntyre Tate LLP Partner Stephen Prignano was recently quoted in a RI Lawyers Weekly article regarding the liability implications of drone operations in civilian airspace. The article highlighted the increased use of drones by individuals and businesses in a variety of contexts. Stephen commented that increased drone use will likely lead to increased risk of liability among operators, owners and ...

McIntyre Tate LLP client testifies before the U.S. Senate

McIntyre Tate LLP client Daniel Miller recently testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee sub-committee hearing on compensation for American victims of Palestinian and Iranian terrorism. Daniel was victimized in a HAMAS triple suicide attack in downtown Jerusalem in 1997. Along with several other American victims, he was a lead plaintiff in Rubin vs. Islamic Republic of Iran , a suit ...

The Right to Dispose of Decedent's Remains Includes Choosing Content on Headstone

An interesting case was decided by a Tennessee court involving a family dispute over a headstone inscription. The decedent's adoptive father appealed a trial court ruling that decedent's surviving spouse had the right to control the inscription on decedent's headstone. The headstone at dispute listed the surname of decedent's biological father. The adoptive father argued that the statute governing ...

Stephen Prignano interviewed in Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly on Uber litigation and class action appeal

Stephen Prignano was recently interviewed and quoted by Rhode Island Lawyers Weekly in connection with two articles discussing recent developments in civil litigation. In the first article, Stephen commented on a recent Rhode Island lawsuit filed by taxi cab companies seeking injunctions against the ride sharing service "Uber." Stephen commented that Uber does not fit neatly into any regulatory ...

Stephen Prignano to speak on family law

Stephen Prignano will be speaking at a National Business Institute seminar entitled " Family Law from A to Z" on Thursday, September 17, 2005 at Wyndham Garden Providence. Stephen's topic will be discovery in divorce , where he will be discussing some of the latest developments in electronic discovery, social media, locating hidden assets , as well as discovery abuses and remedies. A full ...

Laura E. Ruzzo joins McIntyre Tate LLP

McIntyre Tate is pleased to announce that Laura Ruzzo has joined the firm as an associate. Laura practices in the area of family law and is licensed in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Prior to joining our firm, Laura was an associate with Atwood & Cherny, P.C. in Boston, Massachusetts where she practiced family law exclusively. Laura has represented clients in a variety of domestic relations ...

McIntyre Tate partner David Strachman wins groundbreaking probate-equitable adoption case

McIntyre Tate LLP partner David Strachman recently won a groundbreaking equitable adoption case on behalf of a step son in the Pawtucket Probate Court. It is believed to be the first such case in Rhode Island. Equitable adoption applies in an intestate estate to give effect to the intent of the decedent to adopt and provide for the child. Legal authorities throughout the United States have applied ...

McIntyre Tate LLP partner Stephen Prignano selected a Best Lawyer

McIntyre Tate LLP partner Stephen Prignano has been selected by his peers as one of Rhode Island's best commercial litigators. Stephen has been included in the prestigious 21 st edition of The Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation. He has earned this recognition solely by peer review.

Jerry McIntyre and Deborah Tate selected Best Lawyers

McIntyre Tate LLP partners Jerry McIntyre and Deborah Tate have once again been selected by their peers to be included in the prestigious 21 st edition of The Best Lawyers in America . They represent 2 out of only 5 lawyers in the State of Rhode Island in the category of Family Law . They have earned this recognition solely by peer review.

Deborah Tate to speak to Rhode Island CPAs

McIntyre Tate LLP partner Deborah Tate will be speaking to the Rhode Island Society of CPAs' Business Valuation Committee on June 5 th on the nuances of divorce law in Rhode Island as it relates to valuing business interests.

McIntyre Tate successful in Supreme Court civil rights appeal

McIntyre Tate LLP partner David J. Strachman successfully represented in the Rhode Island Supreme Court a concealed weapon permit applicant who was denied by the City of East Providence in Gadomski v. Tavares/City of East Providence . Last year the Rhode Island Supreme Court granted Gadomski's petition for writ of certiorari. After extensive briefing and oral argument, the Supreme Court granted ...

Elder law information for guardians and substitute decision makers

At McIntyre Tate LLP our elder law lawyers frequently represent families who are helping senior citizen relatives as well as adult disabled family members in guardianship and related matters. There are numerous sources of good information to help families in making informed decisions on behalf of their loved ones. One of the best sources of information is the Georgetown University Center for Child ...

Changes in Rhode Island DUI laws

McIntyre Tate LLP partner Robert Sgroi has an extensive background in criminal law as both a prosecutor for Warwick and representing criminal defendents. He routinely represents defendants in DUI cases and offers the following information about recent changes to Rhode Island Law. Effective January 1, 2015 the Rhode Island General Assembly enacted several revisions to the laws relative to driving ...

Deborah M. Tate receives Harvard negotiation certificate

On April 11, 2015, Deborah M. Tate received a certification of successful completion of the Negotiation Workshop from The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School as sponsored by the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School is a university consortium dedicated to developing the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution. The course was ...

McIntyre Tate LLP partner featured in Providence Journal article

McIntyre Tate LLP partner David Strachman was featured in a Providence Journal about the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Strachman (a family court and probate court litigator) represented in the Supreme Court a victim of a local municipality which had violated his civil rights under the Rhode Island Constitution. For more information about Gadomski vs. East Providence , contact McIntyre Tate LLP. ...

McIntyre Tate LLP partner featured in Providence Journal article

McIntyre Tate LLP partner David Strachman was featured in a Providence Journal about the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Strachman (a family court and probate court litigator) represented in the Supreme Court a victim of a local municipality which had violated his civil rights under the Rhode Island Constitution. For more information about Gadomski vs. East Providence , contact McIntyre Tate LLP. ...

Stephen Prignano joins McIntyre Tate LLP

McIntyre Tate is pleased to announce that Stephen Prignano has joined the firm as a partner. Stephen practices in the area of complex commnd matrimonial law, and is licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. He has over 28 years of trial and appellate experience in a wide variety of matters in state and federal courts across the country. Stephen is a fellow of the American Academy of ...

Decline in international adoptions

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article today about the decline in international adoptions over the last several years. We at McIntyre Tate LLP have noticed the same in our adoption practice. MIRIAM JORDAN Dawn and Jesse Seltrecht filed paperwork to adopt a Chinese baby in 2007. More than eight years later, they are still waiting. "China had the most secure program and the shortest ...