T – Maryland Family Law Dictionary
TAINTING/COMINGLING – in divorce actions, when a nonmarital or separate asset becomes marital property and subject to distribution by commingling or adding the other spouse’s name to the title.
TAX CREDIT – an off-set — such the child care credit — against other taxes a taxpayer owes.
TAX DEDUCTION – a subtraction from revenues to be taxed, such as the tax deductions for charitable contributions and business expenses.
TAX FORM 1040 – the I.R.S. form for reporting individual income.
TAX FORM 1099 – the I.R.S. form given an independent contractor reflecting his or her income for a given project.
TAX FORM W-2 – the I.R.S. form given employees by their employer reporting gross wages, deductions and taxes withheld.
TAX INTERCEPT – the process by which a child support judgment debtor’s federal and state income tax refunds are diverted to pay a support arrearage.
TAX RETURN SCHEDULES – a series of separate sheets filed with a form 1040 reflecting income expenses or losses from certain classes of assets or business activities.
TAX SHELTER – the name given to lawful schemes by which taxpayers protect income from immediate taxation.
TEMPORARY CUSTODY – a spouse’s right to have parenting time with his or her child. It includes extended stays and overnights.
TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE ORDER – an order of the court prohibiting a party from acting – for example, threatening, harassing, or physically abusing the other spouse and/or the children.
TEMPORARY SUPPORT – an interlocutory order of support entered before the trial, issued while a case is pending.
TENANCY BY THE ENTIRETY – a form of joint tenancy and ownership of property reserved for married people, which includes the right of survivorship.
TENANTS IN COMMON – a form of ownership in which owners share possession, without the right of survivorship.
TESTATE – dying with a will.
TESTIMONY – statements delivered under oath at a hearing or deposition.
THIRD PARTIES – individuals, besides the husband and wife, who become parties in a divorce action.
TIME STANDARDS – court rules setting deadlines for the completion of certain phases of litigation, such as discovery and pretrial conferences.
TOLLING – an artificial stop in time, so that the statute of limitation does not expire and thus prohibit litigation.
TORT; MARITAL TORT; DOMESTIC TORT – a wrongful act that creates the basis for liability against a defendant, who is called the tortfeasor.
TRACING – what courts do to identify separate and marital property.
TRADITIONAL VISITATION – in some states, when the noncustodial parent has less than the equivalent of two or more overnights with the child each week.
TRANSCRIPT – a written presentation of testimony given at a trial or at a deposition.
TRANSFER – to switch ownership from one person to another.
TRANSITIONAL CHILDCARE – a welfare program by which welfare recipients who stop receiving AFDC due to employment, but who can’t afford to pay childcare costs, receive subsidized childcare assistance, usually for one year.
TRIAL – a formal court hearing to decide the disputed issues filed in the complaint or summons.
TRIAL MEMORANDUM; PRETRIAL MEMORANDUM – a presentation to the court, setting forth each side’s theory of the case, goals and justifications.
TRIAL SEPARATION – when a couple lives apart trying to decide whether to reconcile or divorce.
TRUSTS – instruments for distributing wealth by means other than outright bequests to beneficiaries.
