Five years ago a Pennsylvania judge likened a dog to a lamp or a chair in a "custody" battle.  Pennsylvania hasn't budged much... though New Jersey, Maryland and other states are practicably awarding custody.

Tonight live at 7:00 p.m. on the Philadelphia CNN-News affiliate WFMZ-TV, The American Law Journal presents "hot" topics in family law including Divorce & Personal Property: What Are We REALLY Fighting About? Host Attorney Christopher Naughton welcomes Bonnie C. Frost of New Jersey's largest family law practice Einhorn, Harris, Ascher, Barbarito & Frost, P.C. and 30+ year family law veteran Donald F. Spry, II of King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC.  Joining the discussion is New Jersey psychologist Dr. Lise Deguire.

The guiding precedent for pet custody in Pennsylvania is known as "the Barney rule." It arose from a 2002 case, DeSanctis v. Pritchard, in which a couple had agreed in their divorce settlement to share possession of Barney, their golden retriever-Labrador mix. When the ex-wife remarried and moved away, Anthony DeSanctis went to court to enforce the agreement, arguing that the dog should be treated similarly to a child. He lost.  

"Every state will deal with the distribution of the pet as part of marital assets, but not many will deal with shared custody," says Philadelphia family law attorney Albert Momjian. "Pennsylvania says you can agree on shared possession of a pet, but we're not going to enforce it."

The program will take live telephone calls and will also examine the latest trends in relocation, visitation, custody and other family law issues.

The American Law Journal broadcasts every Monday at 7PM on the Philadelphia CNN-News affiliate WFMZ-TV 69 in the tri-state viewing area. All programs can be viewed on the new website at www.LawJournalTV.com. Next week: The Legal, Medical and Personal Cost of Overselling Antipsychotics.