The Present Tense Problem
A Pennsylvania Superior Court ruling determined that grandparents lack custody standing if no parental custody case is currently open, even after years of a consented relationship. This decision, stemming from the McGuire case, emphasizes the…
She Had Time to Read It
Christina Avgerinos reached out to express concern over a Medium article that mentioned her and their son Dylan, accusing the author of hypocrisy while questioning the lack of communication regarding their child. The author highlights a consistent…
The Narrative Nobody Fact-Checks
A recent tabloid story about Brad Pitt explores how narratives surrounding custody disputes can be reshaped over time. It emphasizes discrepancies between Pitt's past admissions of drinking problems and the anonymous claims blaming his ex-wife Angelina…
When the System Moves Fast for Custody and Slow for Everything Else
Years after Russell Ashford pleaded guilty to brutally assaulting Antoinette Forbes, restrictions on him steadily loosened. Now Forbes is missing, Ashford faces seven firearms charges, and a family court has again been forced to confront custody of their…
A $21 Million Verdict Didn’t Give Cynthia Hayek Her Kids Back
A jury awarded Cynthia Hayek and Kenneth Hamp more than $21 million after finding that false abuse allegations helped cost Hayek her children. The judgment survived appeal. What remains unclear is whether the custody system ever gave her relationship…
The Prescription Nobody Can Enforce
A West Virginia father's push for timely vaccinations for their children clashes with their mother's vaccine skepticism, leading to custody disputes in family court. The article explores the inadequacies of family court in resolving medical disagreements…
The Contact Nobody Compels
The disparity in enforcement mechanisms between child support and parenting-time orders highlights systemic issues in U.S. family courts. While child support enforcement is robust and federally mandated, access rights lack comparable structures. This…
Prepare Yourself to Speak
In Virginia's courtrooms, unaccompanied children often represent themselves due to a lack of legal counsel, especially highlighted after a federal contract lapsed, increasing their vulnerability in immigration and family courts. Both systems inadequately…
The Child Gets a Microphone. Who Controls the Room?
New Jersey's revised custody statute, under Kayden's Law, emphasizes children's expressed preferences in custody arrangements and mandates judicial documentation when such preferences are overlooked. However, it does not guarantee that children will be…
The Ledger Nobody Kept: What COVID-Era Guidance Did to Custody
The pandemic's impact on custody and family courts has been significant yet largely unquantified, as seen in the backlog of cases and the misuse of COVID-19 as a pretext in custody disputes. This situation was exacerbated by inconsistent court operations…