Parental Alienation Florida
Parental alienation in a Florida divorce can have a detrimental impact on your ability to coparent, and even worse, a harsh and lasting impact on your children. How to prove parental alienation in Florida is by documenting instances of alienation and possibly through minor child testimony if permissible and appropriate. For instance, one parent may accuse the other parent of being a cheater and tell the kids the other parent has wrecked their family through selfish behavior. Even if this may ultimately be proven, it is the preference of the family court that parents avoid belittling one another in front of/to the kids. It is not healthy for children to be in the proverbial crossfire of parents getting a divorce and playing a sort of blame game. Children are not pawns or messengers for your divorce. As you might expect, in a contested divorce case, accusations fly, emotions run high, and that means parents need to be mindful that at the heart of it all is a child caught in the middle. Lean about parental alienation Florida. Call Jacobs Law Firm today at 407-335-8113 to speak with an Orlando divorce attorney and Clermont family lawyer.
Parental alienation Florida is intended to cause the kids to reject one parent and develop a sense of loyalty to the other. How to prove parental alienation in Florida? This poor behavior can manifest in various ways, from negative talking about the other parent, limiting contact with the other parent, creating fear of being alone with the other, or even falsely accusing the other parent of abuse. It is difficult to disentangle kids psychologically and emotionally from this sort of abuse. The Florida family courts prefer the kids have continuous and meaningful contact with both parents. Parental alienation in a Florida divorce achieves the exact opposite of what courts prefer.
As you may be aware, Florida family courts prioritize the best interests of the minor child first and foremost. Parental alienation is taken seriously because it can have lasting psychological impacts on the child and may harm the parent-child relationship. If a the judge determines that one parent is guilty of causing parental alienation, it can potentially lead to a modification in time-sharing arrangements, or some other form of relief such as the appointment of a parenting coordinator (among other potential outcomes).
How to prove parental alienation in Florida? The general evidentiary standard in cases where parental alienation Florida is alleged is that the moving party must show by competent and substantial evidence that the other party has committed the acts as alleged. McKinnon v. Staats, 899 So. 2d 357, 361 (Fla. 1st DCA 2005). For point of reference, one instance of purported alienation occurred in the case of Schumaker v. Schumaker where the father was alleged to have “consistently made degrading and obscene comments about the Mother. The Mother had a previous child out of wedlock prior to this marriage and the Father has made sure the minor children of this marriage know the circumstances of their half-sister’s … out of wedlock birth and routinely refers to the Mother in derogatory terms. The Father has told the minor son … that he does not have to listen to his mother and made derogatory statements about … half sister.” 931 So. 2d 271, 274 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006). Call Jacobs Law Firm today at 407-335-8113.