Mass. judge: Man can be called 2 names at trial

Lawyer Blogs

A judge has ruled that the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller can use that name in his kidnapping trial, but prosecutors can call him by his real name.


Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter (GAYR'-hahrtz-ry-tur) is accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter during a supervised visit in Boston last July. He and the girl were found six days later in Baltimore.

Gerhartsreiter also is charged with providing a false name to police. His lawyers had argued it would be unfair for jurors to hear him called Gerhartsreiter, because he has not been convicted of providing the false name.

Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano said Tuesday he would call him Gerhartsreiter to introduce the case, then refer to him as "the defendant" during the trial.

Jury selection is to begin Tuesday.

Related listings

  • Court: Phone drug buys shouldn't bring extra time

    Court: Phone drug buys shouldn't bring extra time

    Lawyer Blogs 05/26/2009

    The Supreme Court says that people who buy drugs over the telephone shouldn't get more prison time than people who buy face-to-face from dealers. The court Tuesday unanimously overturned a decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond...

  • Calif. wants US Supreme Court OK of video game ban

    Calif. wants US Supreme Court OK of video game ban

    Lawyer Blogs 05/21/2009

    California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reinstate a state law banning the sale or rental of violent video games to minors. In February, the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals str...

  • Liberals hope to win after string of court losses

    Liberals hope to win after string of court losses

    Lawyer Blogs 05/19/2009

    The men and women who gather around a table at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights on Friday mornings have ample experience fighting Supreme Court confirmation battles. Now they're hoping to win one. Already, they're combing through the records...

Grounds for Divorce in Ohio - Sylkatis Law, LLC

A divorce in Ohio is filed when there is typically “fault” by one of the parties and party not at “fault” seeks to end the marriage. A court in Ohio may grant a divorce for the following reasons:
• Willful absence of the adverse party for one year
• Adultery
• Extreme cruelty
• Fraudulent contract
• Any gross neglect of duty
• Habitual drunkenness
• Imprisonment in a correctional institution at the time of filing the complaint
• Procurement of a divorce outside this state by the other party

Additionally, there are two “no-fault” basis for which a court may grant a divorce:
• When the parties have, without interruption for one year, lived separate and apart without cohabitation
• Incompatibility, unless denied by either party

However, whether or not the the court grants the divorce for “fault” or not, in Ohio the party not at “fault” will not get a bigger slice of the marital property.

Business News

New York & New Jersey Family Law Matters We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights. >> read