Child Custody: 25 Stupid Mistakes To Avoid!
Win Your Rhode Island Child Custody Case Without Making Silly Mistakes
In my 13 years as a Rhode Island Child Custody Attorney, I have seen many parents make stupid and stupid decisions during the course of the Rhode Island Child Custody Procedures. Sometimes winning custody of RI’s children is about the mistakes you avoid rather than what you do well.
The stupid and rude behavior described below can prevent or ruin your chances of obtaining custody in Rhode Island Family Court. All of the actions set forth below are actual behaviors that I have seen in Rhode Island Family Court.
Please read this RI family law article carefully.
I’m almost afraid to tell people not to engage in the behavior and antics described below for fear of being accused of being condescending or condescending to my clients. They are really just common senses. Ironically, many of the mistakes mothers and fathers make are mistakes made in an attempt to gain an unfair advantage.
1. Do not post inappropriate content on Facebook, MySpace, social networks or online that show that you are not a fit parent, that you use drugs or alcohol, or that you are not acting in the best interest of your child. Remember, the other parent is often circling your Facebook page looking for any angle to help them prevail in the custody dispute. A seemingly innocuous “Facebook friend” may actually be giving information to the other parent.
2. Do not post negative or derogatory comments or comments about the other parent online, the judge, the psychiatrist, the psychologist, the custody evaluator, anyone involved in the custody proceeding, the other Rhode Island attorney, or the family of the other parties.
3. Don’t blog about your case. You must fight your case in court, not on your blog. These blogs infuriate the judges, especially when there is a possibility that children can view the blog.
Four. Don’t buy an expensive item, cars, or take a trip if you claim you can’t pay child support or are facing a motion for contempt of child support.. The other Rhode Island attorney will use this to show that your contempt is deliberate and request that you be put in jail.
5. Don’t wear a $ 500 watch at your Rhode Island contempt hearing. If you cannot pay child support, you should not buy expensive items while claiming that you are bankrupt. Certainly, if you owe RI child support, you shouldn’t bring expensive items to court.
7. Don’t make silly arguments in Rhode Island Family Court. Please see my article on making stupid arguments in RI Family Court. These arguments destroy your credibility, waste valuable court resources, and generally annoy judges.
8. Don’t train your child to take your side. This is generally counterproductive because most children are incapable of lying. The first thing the custody evaluator, Rhode Island Guardian ad Litem, or investigator does is ask the child who they talked to about the case. Your child is not your friend or confidant regarding Rhode Island divorce proceedings or the RI child custody case. Coaching children can be emotionally damaging and confusing for your child.
9. Do not send the other parent inappropriate or threatening text messages, emails or voice messages that will invariably be shown to the judge. These stupid text messages are absurd and an easy way to lose your RI child custody case. You want the judge to see you as the best parent and reasonable person and these emails are not helping your case!
10. Don’t send drug or alcohol induced text messages
eleven. Do not make negative comments or remarks about the other parent in the presence of your child. This is the most common mistake parents make in Rhode Island child custody cases. These comments can be very harmful to your child. They also show the judge that you don’t care about your child’s emotional well-being.
12. Do not threaten or act inappropriately over the phone with the other parent. Suppose everything you say is being recorded because many parents record the other parent.
13. Don’t use illegal drugs. At any time during the Rhode Island child custody case, you are subject to a drug test. A positive drug test can destroy your chances of prevailing in your custody case and can lead to supervised visitation.
14. Do not go out for heavy drinking the night before your evaluation by the custody evaluator. Yes, a client actually did this.
fifteen. Don’t get involved in personal disputes, make accusations, or act rude toward the people who influence decisions in your case. You want these people to respect and empathize with you on a personal level.
Vandalizing the people who influence your case decision is a very bad idea. This specifically includes psychiatrists, psychologists, and the person who supervises your visits. In one case, a woman and her husband clenched their fists, became enraged, and began yelling at the psychologist.
sixteen. Do not write inappropriate letters to your child about the custody case. People really do this. I can’t make these things up.
17. Don’t deny court-ordered visitation or pay child support based on court orders. This only makes you look bad and can change the focus of the Rhode Island Child Custody case. If you are not satisfied with the visits, you must file a motion to modify the visits.
18. Do not write a letter to the judge or call the judge. Yes, some of my clients have done this before. Your child custody attorney will defend your position before the judge. It is not appropriate to write a letter to the judge.
19. Don’t show up to court with an overdose of prescription drugs.
twenty. Be sure to show up for the other parent supervised visit without a good excuse and without calling Family Services and the other parent. (Unless there is a restraining order)
twenty-one. Do not introduce the child or involve him with a new boyfriend or girlfriend, especially one who has a criminal record or a history of dcyf.
22. Do not have visitors of the opposite sex at night while the children are at home. The custody case is complicated enough that there is no need to involve other people in the case.
2. 3. Do not buy the child a big gift the day before or on the day of his interview with the judge. This looks like a bribe to a judge. However, skill for the game is a good idea. There is nothing wrong with spending a day at the amusement park the day before your meeting with the judge. The skill for the game is fine. Bribery is not okay.
24. Do not leave the state without informing other parents of where you are going and when you will return. You must also provide contact information.
25. Don’t have the necessary heated confrontations with the other parent. Get away from these bad situations and tell your lawyer. These confrontations often lead to Rhode Island restraining orders or protection from abuse complaints.
Even if the confrontation is not physical and relatively harmless, the other parent may exaggerate it and use it to gain an unfair advantage by pursuing a restraining order or instituting criminal charges.
Domestic violence allegations could destroy your chances of obtaining physical placement or joint custody of your child. Sometimes these clashes lead to criminal charges in RI. You do not want to hire a Providence criminal attorney.
Important Rhode Island Family Law Tip: Many people use the term “full custody,” which is not a legal term. Legal custody refers to decision-making and access to records and is joint custody of both parents or sole custody of one parent. Physical custody is where the child resides on a daily basis and the other parent has visitation rights. There is also a shared physical location.