Case library
Nevada family-law decisions, briefed for practice.
20 decisions, organized by topic. Practitioner summaries with key holdings, posture, disposition, and the statutes cited - up front, where you need them. Every summary links to the full opinion.
Case Library = case briefs of the decisions themselves. For long-form explainers of the governing law, Guides; for the exact quotable passages, verified verbatim, the Canon.
20 cases · counsel of record F. Peter James
GRAY VS. GRAY (CHILD CUSTODY)
Sep 10, 202691341-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The Court of Appeals reviewed the child custody modification and the attorney fee award for abuse of discretion, affirming factual findings supported by substantial evidence - "evidence that a reasonable person may…
BUCHANAN VS. BREWER (CHILD CUSTODY)
Aug 31, 202691363-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The Court of Appeals reviewed the district court's child custody and relocation determination for abuse of discretion. Flynn v. Flynn, 120 Nev. 486, 92 P.3d 1224 (2004); Johnson v. Bennett, 141 Nev., Adv. Op. 35, 575…
ELWARDT VS. ELWARDT (FAMILY)
Jun 18, 202688886-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded.The court reviewed the district court's property determinations for an abuse of discretion, upholding property characterizations supported by substantial evidence. Eivazi v. Eivazi, 139 Nev. 408, 411, 537 P.3d 476, 482…
DE NOTO VS HILTON (CHILD CUSTODY)
Jun 16, 202691325-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The Court of Appeals reviewed the physical-custody determination for abuse of discretion. Ellis v. Carucci, 123 Nev. 145, 149, 161 P.3d 239, 241 (2007). A district court abuses its discretion when its decision is not…
FASSARI VS. FASSARI (FAMILY)
Oct 23, 202525-46389 · 90183-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.**Standard of review.** The court reviewed the district court's determination of personal jurisdiction de novo, citing Fulbright & Jaworski LLP v. Eighth Jud. Dist. Ct., 131 Nev. 30, 35, 342 P.3d 997, 1001 (2015). It…
LOPEZ VS. PENALOZA (CHILD CUSTODY)
Jun 3, 202525-24488 · 88714-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.The panel (Bulla, Gibbons, Westbrook, JJ.) reviewed the district court's custody, child support, and alimony determinations for abuse of discretion. **Custody.** Applying Ellis v. Carucci, 123 Nev. 145, 149, 161 P.3d…
SOLDO-ALLESIO VS. FERGUSON
Feb 13, 2025141 Nev. Adv. Op. 9 (Ct. App. 2025) · 87657-COA · Nevada Supreme Court
Reversed and remanded.Standard of review. The Court of Appeals reviews a child custody order for abuse of discretion, Ellis v. Carucci, 123 Nev. 145, 149, 161 P.3d 239, 241 (2007); Roe v. Roe, 139 Nev., Adv. Op. 21, 535 P.3d 274, 284 (Ct.…
MIZRACHI VS. MIZRACHI, JR. (CHILD CUSTODY)
Oct 22, 202424-39875 · 86508-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The panel reviewed each of Dory's six assignments of error under the applicable standards and affirmed. Finality of the March 2022 order. Dory contended the March 2022 order was a final order resolving Eli's motion to…
HO VS. HO
Sep 19, 202424-34630 · 86775-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Reversed and remanded.**Property distribution - standard and framework.** The court reviewed the distribution of community property for abuse of discretion. Kilgore v. Kilgore, 135 Nev. 357, 359, 449 P.3d 843, 846 (2019). Property acquired…
HATCHER VS. HATCHER (CHILD CUSTODY)
Aug 30, 202424-31330 · 88071-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The Court of Appeals reviewed each of Stephanie's four arguments under the abuse-of-discretion standard applicable to child custody determinations. Under that standard, the court focuses on whether the district court…
HACHAM VS. SEBAI (CHILD CUSTODY)
Mar 22, 202424-10151 · 86819-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order AFFIRMED.")**Custody.** The court reviewed the physical custody award for a clear abuse of discretion, citing Ellis v. Carucci, 123 Nev. 145, 149, 161 P.3d 239, 241 (1999), and Davis v. Ewalefo, 131 Nev. 445, 450, 352 P.3d 1139,…
DRASKOVICH VS. DRASKOVICH
Mar 21, 2024140 Nev. Adv. Op. 17, 545 P.3d 96 (2024) · 84998 · Nevada Supreme Court
Reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded.Standard of review: factual classification of property is reviewed for substantial evidence, but application of a presumption is reviewed de novo. Waldman v. Maini, 124 Nev. 1121, 1128, 195 P.3d 850, 855 (2008). Alimony…
KRAGEN VS. DIST. CT. (KRAGEN)
Oct 30, 202323-35210 · 86626-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Petition granted; the Court of Appeals directed the clerk to issue a writ of mandamus instructing the district court to vacate its orders concluding that home state jurisdiction exists and to reconsider the matter after an evidentiary hearing. (The request for a writ of prohibition was denied.)The Court of Appeals granted mandamus relief directed at Eighth Judicial District Court orders assuming UCCJEA jurisdiction and establishing temporary custody in a divorce action. On jurisdiction, the court reiterated…
ROWBERRY VS. ROWBERRY (CHILD CUSTODY)
Aug 28, 202323-27999 · 85076-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Reversed and remanded. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court REVERSED and REMANDED.")The Court of Appeals reviewed the district court's custody and relocation determinations for abuse of discretion. Ellis v. Carucci, 123 Nev. 145, 149, 161 P.3d 239, 241 (2007); Flynn v. Flynn, 120 Nev. 436, 440, 92 P.3d…
RUPEL VS. GALTEN
Aug 16, 202323-26776 · 84076-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.The Court of Appeals reviewed divorce-proceeding decisions for abuse of discretion, declining to disturb decisions supported by substantial evidence - "evidence that 'a sensible person may accept as adequate to sustain…
CARLSON VS. CARLSON
Jul 31, 202323-24524 · 85039-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The court reviewed the district court's award of attorney fees and costs for abuse of discretion, citing Logan v. Abe, 131 Nev. 260, 266-67, 350 P.3d 1143-44 (2015), noting that where eligibility for a fee award turns…
PREVOST VS. GRONVOLD (CHILD CUSTODY)
Oct 20, 202222-33055 · 82916-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed. ("ORDER the judgment of the district court AFFIRMED.")The Court of Appeals reviewed the district court's evidentiary and custody rulings for abuse of discretion. It applied the standard that "[a]n abuse of discretion occurs when a district court's decision is not supported…
WILLIAMS VS. WILLIAMS (CHILD CUSTODY)
Aug 19, 202222-25929 · 83263-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded.**Custody (three boys).** The court reviewed the custody determination for a clear abuse of discretion, citing Rico v. Rodriguez, 121 Nev. 695, 701, 120 P.3d 812, 816 (2005). It recognized the rebuttable presumption…
CARLSON VS. CARLSON
Jan 7, 202222-00699 · 81460-COA · Nevada (SCOTN/COA)
Reversed and remanded.The Court of Appeals reviewed the award of attorney fees and costs for an abuse of discretion. See Miller v. Wilfong, 121 Nev. 619, 622, 119 P.3d 727, 729 (2005); Cadle Co. v. Woods & Erickson, LLP, 131 Nev. 114, 120,…
ARCELLA VS. ARCELLA (CHILD CUSTODY)
Dec 26, 2017133 Nev. Adv. Op. 104 (2017) · 71503 · Nevada Supreme Court
Reversed and remanded with instructions.The Court reviewed the district court's best-interest determination for clear abuse of discretion. Mack v. Ashlock, 112 Nev. 1062, 1065, 921 P.2d 1258, 1261 (1996). It identified three independent abuses of discretion.…
Every summary is independently verified against the source opinion; summaries are informational research aids, not legal advice, and no substitute for reading the decision. Topic groupings are derived automatically from each case’s category tag and cited statutes; a case may appear under two topics.