Patricia Dempsey | Hauppauge Divorce Lawyer

• Florida Bar | Member | 1994 - Present
  New York State Bar Association | Member | 1992 - Present

• Pro Bono Small Family Law Firm, law firm participant | Dade County Bar Association | 1997
  Pro Bono Small Family Law Firm, law firm participant | Dade County Bar Association | 1996
  Dade County Bar Association | Young Lawyer's Section Pro Bono Honor Roll | 1995
  Dominic L. Gabrielli Moot Court Competition, Senior Prize Trial
  Judge, Dominic L. Gabrielli Moot Court Competition

• Child Support
  The Third District ruled in favor of providing child support for an adult disabled and dependent child. Hastings v. Shepard, Eleventh Judicial Circuit, Miami-Dade County, Florida, 841 So.2d 484 (Fla. 3d DCA 2003), rehearing and rehearing en banc denied, March 28, 2003, cert. denied, September 5, 2003. Over the course of two years, Ms. Dempsey successfully represented the interests of an adult disabled person and his mother who sought to establish child support pursuant to Section 743.07(2), Florida Statutes. The lower court initially granted summary judgment against the adult dependent child, and an appeal was filed. Following oral argument, the Third District Court reversed and remanded, holding that the right to support belongs to a mentally or physically disabled adult child whose disability began prior to attaining the age of majority, and the duty to support lies with both parents throughout their lives. This appeal also involved a matter of first impression and continues to serve parents similarly situated.

• Father's Rights
  The Third District Court ruled in favor of the father. Janssen v. Alicea, 30 So.3d 680 (Fla. 3d DCA 2010). The Trial Court granted summary judgment and thereby denied paternity rights in a proceeding involving an unmarried couple who had conceived a child through artificial insemination. Ms. Dempsey prosecuted the appeal, arguing that the recent sperm donor statute, 742.14, Florida Statutes, was inapplicable given the material facts of the case, including the best interests of the minor child. She further argued that the method of conception should not act as a bar to paternity rights for fathers similarly situated. The Third District Court ruled in the father’s favor and the matter was reversed and remanded for a full evidentiary hearing. This appeal involved a matter of first impression and continues to serve fathers similarly situated.

• Father's Rights
  The Third District Court ruled in favor of the biological father.

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