The DCF Hotline number: 1-800-842-2288. I get calls or emails occasionally from those wishing to make a report. Don’t contact me to make a report. Call 1-800-842-2288 Who should call? Anyone who has a “reasonable suspicion” that a child is the victim of abuse or neglect. Who must call? Mandated reporters such as school personnel,…
PAS has been defined as “a mental condition in which a child, usually one whose parents are engaged in a high conflict divorce, allies himself or herself strongly with one parent, and rejects a relationship with the other parent, without legitimate justification.” One argument in favor of PAS being recognized as a legitimate mental health…
A Montana lawmaker proposed legislation to require a couple with children under the age of 18 to attend seven sessions of counseling before being granted a divorce. He apparently wants couples to think twice (or seven times) before divorcing. The idea of counseling is not a novel one. What is unique is seven mandatory sessions…
The Huffington Post recently listed the top ten cases which significantly impacted divorce law. These cases cover many areas of divorce law including alimony, pensions, relocation, foreign judgments, palimony and visitation rights for grandparents. This a national list. In fact, no specific Connecticut cases appear on the list. However, some of these cases resulted in…
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Click It or Ticket (CIOT) campaign is in full force Memorial Day weekend, with police officers around the nation cracking down on those who “forget” to wear their seatbelts. Wearing a seat belt is the number one thing you can do to protect yourself should you be involved in…
A lengthy, sixteen-month long divorce case is over but the decision has outraged many people. A North Carolina mother, who has been raising her two children, claims that she lost custody because she has cancer. The judge awarded custody of the children to the father who lives in Chicago. It appears that he argued that…
The following summary is based on a recent article in the Connecticut Law Tribune regarding a truck accident which occurred in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Plaintiff’s claims: The victim stated that she had a green light and as she drove through an intersection the vehicle she was operating was struck by a truck. The Plaintiff’s attorney alleged…
A New York judge has awarded custody to a father after finding that the mother attempted to “brainwash” the children against the father. In addition, the mother put signs around town that the father was a “deadbeat” and allegedly had her friends picket outside the courthouse when the custody case was being heard. Not surprisingly,…
What is the law in Connecticut concerning the rights of grandparents to visit with their grandchildren? Connecticut General Statutes §46b-59 allows grandparents (and other third parties) to file an application for visitation with a minor child. However, many of these applications are dismissed. This is because Connecticut requires a third party, such as a grandparent,…
If a parent believes that the current custody or visitation order should be changed a Motion for Modification can be filed. For a Motion for Modification of Custody to be granted the court must make two findings: 1. A Modification of Custody involves an initial determination as to whether there has been a “substantial change…