Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships; issues arising during marriage, including spousal abuse, legitimacy, adoption, surrogacy, child abuse, and child abduction; the termination of the relationship and ancillary matters including divorce, annulment, property settlements, alimony, and parental responsibility orders (in the United States, child custody and visitation, child support and alimony awards).
Ludlow is a small town, with a population of about 23 residents (this number fluctuates frequently as the town is a work camp), in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, United States. The town started as a water stop for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1883. Ore was found in the nearby hills, leading to a boom. By the 1940s, mining had ceased and the town was left with only the tourist traffic from Route 66. When Interstate 40 was built, there was little business and the residents departed, leaving empty buildings that still stand beside old Route 66. A small portion of Ludlow abutting Interstate 40 is still inhabited, and contains two gas stations, a small motel, a restaurant, a Dairy Queen fast-food outlet, and a small tire and repair shop. The ZIP Code is 92338 and the community is inside area code 760. An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter scale struck the Mojave Desert at Ludlow near Interstate 40 on December 6th, 2008.