Visitation

Published on: February 18, 2016

Court Grants Father’s Petition to Modify an Order for Visitation

by Stephen Bilkis

In a related visitation proceedings pursuant to Family Court Act article 6, the father appeals, as limited by his brief, from so much of an order of the Family Court, Nassau County, dated November 30, 2012, as, after a hearing, in effect, granted his petition to modify an order of visitation dated January 14, 2010, only to the extent of awarding him supervised daytime visitation.

An order dated January 14, 2010, the Family Court awarded the father, who lives in Texas, unsupervised visitation with the subject child in New York, including overnight visitation during various school holidays. The only restrictions upon the father’s visitation were that a social worker would monitor exchanges of the subject child and would have to pre-approve any accommodations chosen by the father for overnight visitation. At one point, the Family Court modified the visitation order by suspending overnight visitation. However, on a prior appeal, this Court reversed that order of the Family Court, thereby effectively reinstating overnight visitation.

In October 2010, the father filed a petition to modify the order of visitation dated January 14, 2010 (hereinafter the January 2010 visitation order), so as to eliminate the involvement of a social worker in monitoring exchanges of the subject child and approving accommodations for overnight visitation. In opposing the father’s petition, the attorney for the child requested that any parenting time should be of short duration and at specific locations. The attorney for the child did not request supervised visitation. In an order dated December 7, 2010, the Family Court, in effect, denied the father’s petition to modify and granted the application of the attorney for the child to modify the January 2010 visitation order so as to limit the father’s parenting time to brief unsupervised visits at specific, public places.

Published on: July 18, 2015

Court Listens to Two Related Cases Pursuant to Social Services Law 384b

by Stephen Bilkis

The two cases below are about family law and proceedings.

The first case deals with two related proceedings pursuant to Social Services Law § 384-b (4) to terminate the mother’s parental rights on the ground of permanent neglect, the mother appeals from two orders of disposition (one as to each child) of the Family Court, Nassau County (Foskey, J.), both dated June 13, 2002, which, after a hearing, determined that she failed to comply with the terms and conditions of an order suspending judgment of the same court (Koenig, J.) dated October 5, 2001, terminated her parental rights, and awarded custody and guardianship of the children to the petitioner for the purpose of adoption.

Published on: March 25, 2015

Court Decides Custody in Light of Sexual Abuse Allegations

by Stephen Bilkis

Following an 11-day hearing, Family Court, by order entered September 15, 2005, awarded respondent wife sole legal and physical custody of the parties’ minor child, D (born in 2000), and established a visitation schedule for petitioner. Family Court did so with great hesitation, noting respondent’s marked weaknesses as a parent, including her insistence that petitioner sexually abused the child—despite the lack of sufficient credible evidence to sustain that allegation—and her noted lack of effort to encourage any sort of a relationship between the child and petitioner.

Shortly thereafter, respondent failed to produce the child for a scheduled visitation with petitioner in Nassau County, prompting Family Court to order the parties to appear on September 28, 2005 to address this issue. At that time, it came to light that respondent recently had informed the child’s school psychologist that petitioner had sexually abused the child; the school psychologist, in turn, filed a report with the Nassau County Department of Social Services. Respondent conceded that she did not advise the school psychologist of the prior proceedings in Family Court or that the allegations of abuse had been thoroughly explored and laid to rest in the course thereof. Family Court then directed that neither party discuss the prior allegations of sexual abuse with anyone without the express permission of the court.

Published on: October 23, 2012

Plaintiff Moved to Increase Alimony

by Stephen Bilkis

This is a case being heard in the Special and Trial Term of the Supreme Court located in New York County. The plaintiff in the matter is Ethel Phillips and the defendant is Gilbert L. Phillips. The plaintiff is seeking a separation from the defendant, who is her husband. Ms. Phillips alleges that the defendant has treated her cruelly and fails to provide fro her. A New York Family Lawyer said the defendant denies these allegations and has entered a counterclaim seeking an annulment from the marriage. The defendant states that their marriage should be annulled because the plaintiff was still married to another individual at the time the couple was married.

Case Background

On the last day of March in the year 1950, the plaintiff obtained a divorce from her husband, Mr. Moss. This divorce was obtained in the state of Georgia in the Superior Court of Richmond County. At the time of the divorce the plaintiff stated that she had been a resident of Georgia for over a year before instituting the action for divorce. However, a New York Custody Lawyer said the plaintiff was actually still a New York state resident at that time. She had only been in Georgia for a couple of days and visited the state for the purpose of obtaining the divorce and no other reason. She had not established a residency in the state of Georgia. Moss, the plaintiff’s husband acknowledged the action in the Georgia court and did not contest the divorce. The decree from the Georgia court states that the divorce was granted to the plaintiff on the 31st of March, 1950. After the divorce took place, the plaintiff’s ex-husband Moss took on another spouse.

Published on: July 20, 2012

visitation

by Stephen Bilkis

Divorce creates many situations within a family that cause difficulties. In New York, the goal of the court system is to ensure that the children do not suffer because of the conflict between the parents. A New York Family Lawyer said no matter how much a court system may attempt to ensure that the children do not suffer from the stresses of the parents, it is impossible to achieve this goal entirely. In many cases, the parents do not stay in New York and one may move to a different jurisdiction. When this happens, the parents along with the court must decide if they are in a position to continue to handle the court issues of visitation and support through the New York court system.

One case from 1999, concerned the ongoing issues of a family going back more than ten years before the case was discussed in New York Family Court. The couple were married in Buffalo, New York on June 21, 1987. In 1988 and 1990, they brought two children into their marriage. The couple resided in New York City and Long Island while they both attended college. Toward the end of their marriage, they moved to Hamilton, Massachusetts. They were separated on December 21, 1993, and divorced in 1995. The couple agreed that the children would live with their mother in the family home in Massachusetts and the father moved to a townhouse near the home. In 1995, the mother moved to Buffalo, New York with the two children. The couple agreed that the Massachusetts Family Court would continue to have jurisdiction over the divorce decree and the continuing issues of visitation and support with the children. However, as both parents moved on with new families of their own, additional issues have arisen.

The final divorce decree created in Massachusetts allowed that the children were the full custody of the mother with the father being allowed liberal visitation. However, the father remarried and began a new life with his new wife and stepdaughter in Ipswich, Massachusetts. The mother met a man in New York and later moved with him and the two children from her previous marriage to Oregon. The father at that time filed for the children to rejoin him in Massachusetts. The issue of the court became a situation in which the father stated that he was being expected to spend too much money visiting the children in Oregon, or having the children flown out to visit him in Massachusetts. A Queens Family Lawyer said the case was brought before the New York Family Court in which they agreed with the father and ordered that the child support payments that the father was ordered by the Massachusetts Court to make, should be put into a separate banking account and used to pay for the expenses of visitation and plane fare. The mother filed an appeal.

Published on: February 4, 2012

Court Rules on Visitation Case

by Stephen Bilkis

Emily Black Pyne was married to James L. Black, said a New York Family Lawyer. They had two children and divorced when the younger of the two, Allison, was about three years old. In their marriage dissolution agreement, Mr. Black was to pay child support for both children until they reach twenty–one. He stopped paying when the eldest, Rhonda, was sixteen and the youngest was twelve years-old. According to Mr. Black, this was because about two months before he stopped paying, which was Christmas time, he asked for visitation, but he was denied by Ms. Pyne.

From the time of the divorce to about nine years after, Mr. Black was working internationally and most of the time out of the country, so he had very few visitations with his children at most two to three days a year. At the time, when he asked for the Christmas visit, he had already left the international employment and was living near Ms. Pyne and the kids. After the visit was denied, he consulted a lawyer and sent a demand for regular scheduled visitation. A New York Custody Lawyer said that it disturbed Ms. Pyne, her new husband and the children as Mr. Black has not had that amount of visitation before. In addition, Rhonda who was sixteen at the time was in counseling and therapy because she was diagnosed as having agoraphobia.

Both Rhonda and Allison said they did not want to see Mr. Black. Rhonda, who was doing well in school, was also having a hard time with everyday living. She was thinking as well that Mr. Black may have been abusive to her and was afraid of him. For Allison, who was twelve, she felt rejected by Mr. Black and disliked him. Ms. Pyne had offered therapy for her to be able to reconcile with Mr. Black, but the child refused. Ms. Pyne did not want to force her children to doing anything, so she did not push, according to testimony read by a Nassau County Custody Lawyer.

Published on: February 3, 2012

Grandparent Visitation Rights

by Stephen Bilkis

Child visitation and child custody are cases that are very frequently occurring, especially in the states. The details of the case are not easy especially when the rights and the benefits of the children are the ones at stake. In this particular case, the grandparents are the ones who are involved in the case. This case involves the couple Diane and David Saul who are the maternal grandparents of the child who was born out of wedlock.

The said child was born around October of 1994 and lived with his mother and her parents. The father lived separately with his own parents since the couple was not married. When the child reached about 8 months old, the mother filed an action to demand child support for the child from the father. The father succumbed to this but the mother was killed in an accident when the child was two. This scenario led for the child to live with his father which started the issue between the parents of the mother and the father.

The grandparents are fighting for the right to visit since according to a New York Visitation Lawyer, this should be granted when one or both parents are already dead or if the child was born without his parents getting married. However, the conflict arises when the point of the father having the right to same privacy level is raised especially since the mother has already passed away. The points raised may be too hard to handle especially when all parties involved only have the interest to protect the child. The court is only after giving the rights to those who will not cause harm to the overall well being of the child.

Published on: February 2, 2012

Court Rules on Grandparent Adoption Case

by Stephen Bilkis

There was one particular case that a New York Family Lawyer studied which might sound not so common when it comes to cases of child custody or visitation rights. It involves the presence of two minor kids named only as I.S. and C.S. Both of their parents are already dead with their mother dying after giving birth to C.S. Following this scenario, both of them stayed in the custody of their maternal grandfather along with his wife, which went on for four months. Their father died out of a car accident.

When this happened, the two guardians provided for the primary care of the children. As all these were happening, the other set of grandparents in the side of the father, were constantly getting in touch with their grandkids as well. It did not take long before the two acting as guardians decided to file a petition to adopt their two grandkids. The two are defending in court that this is the best way they think that they can serve the kids and give them all the benefits they deserve.

It was without any doubt who also looked into this case that both were actually fit to become parents of the kids. But there was evidence discovered that before the father of the children died, he requested for his kids to be raised by his own parents; the paternal grandparents. It seemed hard to decide on this since both sets of grandparents are very loving to both kids. And it was apparent as well that the two kids also love all their grandparents, whichever parents’ side.

Published on: February 1, 2012

Court Rules on Visitation where Substance Abuse is a Factor

by Stephen Bilkis

When families break down, it is the children who suffer so much. When they start growing up in an environment that is unresolved, they also tend to create chaotic environments on their own. If we care for the future generations of this country, then it is important that we help each other out in informing families on how it is really to raise one. You would learn a lot of values and rights when you get to review some child visitation rights cases explored by a credible New York Family Lawyer.

This case was between the Department of Children and Families versus a mother who is not capable of taking care of her own son. The mother was hidden in the initials of B.M. The child is a four-year-old boy with the initials of B.B. He was brought to the DCF for a shelter petition last 2006. It all started with the mother and child deciding to live alone away from the father who mistreats and abused his wife. In September 12 of 2006, she left her son in a neighbor’s house and promised that she would return soon. But she did not and only came back for her son the afternoon of the next day.

Because of this non-compliance according to a New York Visitation Lawyer she was evicted two days after and she even evaded possible confrontation with the WID. A history of violence in the home was traced and both parents had restraining orders. By September 18, the mother was allowed visitation that is supervised about two times in a week. But on the following month, reports say that she has already missed three appointed visits with which she gave three unreasonable excuses as well. First, she simply overslept. Second, she had to go to a particular doctor’s appointment. Third, she needed to do another follow up with her doctor.

Published on: January 31, 2012

Court Rules on Grandparent Visitation

by Stephen Bilkis

Every New York Family Lawyer has somehow encountered the common case of a grandparent seeking for visitation rights of his or her grandchildren. And in some states in the country, it becomes all the more complicated since some laws do not allow such visitation when one of the parents would like their privacy to be respected. The mother of the child involved in this case who was kept unnamed already filed a paternity action for child support from the father but he also sought visitation rights for his own mother.

It is important to note according to the that the child who is a minor was born right out of wedlock. If this is the case, there is a great chance that the child can be allowed to be visited too by the grandparents. But it is the right of any of the parents to not allow this especially when it comes to the aspect of familial privacy. This term about the rights of the parent to raise their kids without others interfering in the way. If there comes a time that they get into a disagreement, it should be taken to court and they will be the one to decide which would be best for the child.

Some researches done by a respected Nasau County Divorce Lawyer that there are cases visitation rights are given to parents only if it would be the best interest for the child involved. And it is very important to note that this scenario would only be allowed if the parents have both left their right for familial privacy by letting the court settle whatever disagreement they may have. But if it is the court’s decision to allow the grandparent to visit regularly, then this does not violate any of the parents’ privacy rights.