The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) is a federal insurance program that provides benefits to retired and/or disabled workers and their dependents (spouses, children) and to survivors of insured workers. The OASDI is the...
family & personal matters
omitted child statutes
Omitted child statutes provide a way for an after-born child to inherit from a deceased parent’s will. Normally, children who are cut out of their parents’ will cannot file claim against their parents’ estate. However, in rare cases when the...
open adoption
An open adoption is an arrangement in which biological parents are allowed to have some form of contact with their child and the child’s adoptive parents. Today, this is the predominant adoption arrangement, as opposed to closed adoptions where the...
orphan
An orphan is a child whose parents have died. The term is sometimes used to describe any person whose parents have died, though this is less common. A child who only has one living parent is also sometimes considered an orphan. For example...
palimony
Palimony is a colloquial term used to refer to a court’s award of financial support or assets to one party of a non-marital relationship following a break-up. The term is a portmanteau of the words pal (meaning friend) and alimony. The term...
parent
A parent is the mother or father of another person. This relationship can be established naturally, through childbirth. Parenthood can also be established through legal methods. One such method is through adoption, in which a person who is...
Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA)
The Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act (PKPA) establishes national standards to determine jurisdiction in interstate custody disputes. PKPA imposes a duty on the states to enforce a child custody determination entered by a court of a sister...
parental neglect
Parental neglect is a parent or legal guardian’s failure to provide a child with necessities. This is often considered a type of child abuse, and is also referred to as child neglect. For example, California Penal Code § 270 states that “[i...
parentelic system
The parentelic system is a method of determining who inherits a deceased person’s property when they die intestate. The assets are first passed to the spouse, descendants and parents of the decedent, then to siblings, nieces and nephews of...
paternity suit
A lawsuit to determine the identity of the father of a child, usually one born outside of marriage. A paternity suit may be brought either by the mother seeking child support, or by the father himself if the mother is denying his paternity...