Also known as: dependents · dependant
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A child or other person who relies on another for financial support or care.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Diana Delgado fled with her son to a new state after the child's father threatened harm. The child was physically present in the state and had been subjected to mistreatment. The court exercised jurisdiction to protect the child because the circumstances met the emergency standard for a dependent child.
During their divorce, Daniel Diaz and Doris Duffy held substantial separate and marital assets. The court set aside a portion of those estates into a trust to provide for the support and education of their two minor children who were dependent on the parents for all financial needs.
Demetrius Douglas and Diane Dawson disputed custody of their daughter. The court appointed an attorney to represent the child's interests in support and visitation matters. The order required the parents to pay the attorney's fees and costs.
Dwight Dorsey lived with his elderly father who relied on him for daily care and financial support. When state officials searched the home without a warrant, the court considered the father's dependent status in evaluating the privacy interests at stake.
Dover Bank employee Diana Delgado and her dependent husband challenged a state law restricting access to contraceptives. The court recognized the couple's marital privacy rights, noting the wife's economic dependence on her spouse.
Dakota Industries employee Doris Duffy lived with her son and two grandsons, one of whom was dependent on her for support. The city cited her for violating a single-family zoning rule that excluded extended dependent relatives, prompting a due process challenge.
Physical presence of the child or a contestant is not alone sufficient to confer jurisdiction except in cases of abandonment, emergency mistreatment, or when no other state has jurisdiction. The statute expressly limits reliance on presence for dependent children.
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A court may set aside a portion of the parties' estates into a separate fund or trust for the support, maintenance, education, and general welfare of any minor, dependent, or incompetent children.
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Yes. The court may appoint an attorney to represent the interests of a minor or dependent child regarding support, custody, and visitation, and must order costs and fees against one or both parents unless the responsible party is indigent.
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…right, the majority argues that a State has no valid reason for denying that right to same-sex couples. This reasoning is dependent upon a particular understanding of the purpose of civil marriage. Although the Court expresses the point in loftier terms, its argument is that the fundamental purpose of marriage is to…