Appellate Attorney Dennis Temko Takes Family Law Appeal Reversals to a New Height

“Reversals are hard to obtain -- even one is a cause for celebration,” said attorney Dennis Temko, who was recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as a rising star in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

A reversal is a decision by the Court of Appeal ruling that the judgment of a lower court was incorrect. The result is that the lower court which tried the case is instructed to dismiss the original action, retry the case, or change its judgment. Out of the seven reversals Mr. Temko obtained, five were published decisions. A published decision is available for citation as precedent, whereas unpublished decisions (the vast majority) are not.    

One of Mr. Temko’s reversals, David L. v. Superior Court of San Diego, was significant for its familial connection. Sixteen years earlier, Mr. Temko’s father and mentor, Stephen Temko, obtained a reversal in Muckle v. Superior Court of San Diego. That case involved a wife who filed a marriage dissolution action against her husband. The husband then brought a motion to quash for lack of personal jurisdiction. The San Diego Superior Court denied the husband’s motion. The husband then filed a writ petition for relief. The Court of Appeal held the San Diego Superior Court lacked personal jurisdiction over the husband, who was a Georgia resident, and reversed.

Dennis Temko’s 2018 reversal in David L. v. Superior Court of San Diego County echoed his father’s case (Case No. D073996). In David L. a mother initiated a paternity and child support action against a non-resident, David L., naming him as the child’s father. Just as occurred in Muckle, David L. filed a motion to quash service for lack of jurisdiction, which the Superior Court denied. David L. then filed a writ petition to seek relief from the Court of Appeal. The petition Mr. Temko wrote, citing within it his father’s earlier Muckle case, led the Court of Appeal to reverse the Superior Court’s exercise of jurisdiction. With that, the torch has passed from father to son.

Dennis Temko has authored more than 60 combined appellate briefs and writ petitions. Mr. Temko serves on the San Diego Appellate Inn of Court, San Diego Family Law Bar, and San Diego County Bar. He is a San Diego Family Law Bar Association board member and has also delivered presentations to family law attorneys and judges throughout the state.

Concluded client Elena S., “Dennis is very diligent and thorough. He has great attention to detail, which is often crucial. Throughout his representation, I felt confident and secure. He won my case! I would highly recommend him.”

About Dennis Temko, Law Office of Dennis Temko 
Dennis Temko handles appellate family law matters for both appellants and respondents in California State Courts in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and elsewhere throughout California. His appellate practice is focused on family law matters including custody, property division, child and spousal support, stock options, high income earners, Ostler Smith (bonus support orders), domestic violence restraining orders, and imputation. For more information, please call (858) 274-3538, or visit https://www.dennistemkolaw.com/.

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