Custody Disputes Involving Abuse, Addiction or Mental Health
Sometimes parents have legitimate concerns about the welfare of a child. Sometimes one parent will shamelessly paint the other as unfit to gain an advantage in divorce and custody proceedings. Whether the safety of your child is at risk or joint custody of your child is at stake, you will need skilled and aggressive advocacy in court.
The Los Angeles family law attorneys of Trabolsi & Levy have represented mothers and fathers on both sides of contested custody proceedings involving allegations of abuse, addiction, mental illness or violence. We are committed first and foremost to protecting children, but we will not let a client be unfairly deprived of custody rights. We make sure the court hears both sides of the story and not merely one parent's self-serving version of the truth.
Los Angeles Child Abuse and Custody Attorneys
Sole physical custody and sole legal custody are rarely granted. The California family courts adhere to the philosophy that children are best served when both parents are actively involved in their son or daughter's life. The exception is when a parent or the home environment is detrimental or imminently dangerous to the child's well-being:
- Alcohol abuse or drug addiction
- Physical or psychological abuse of a child
- Sexual molestation by the father, mother, stepparent or parent's boyfriend/girlfriend
- Domestic violence in the home
- Mental health issues
- Child neglect
These allegations are usually accompanied by a petition for sole custody or a reversal of primary custody. The accused parent may be subjected to restraining orders and allowed only supervised visitation if any contact. Children are pulled into the middle, subjected to psychological evaluations and perhaps compelled to testify about a parent's drinking, drug use, psychotic episodes or abusive conduct.
Child Custody When One Parent Is Alleged to Be Unfit
The experienced lawyers of Trabolsi & Levy routinely confront these issues in initial child custody determinations and in post-divorce custody modifications. We aim to de-escalate these tense situations and focus on realistic solutions rather than drastic actions and bitter custody battles.
If the child's welfare is truly at risk, we will take action to shield him or her from further abuse or trauma, and help our client document the adverse behavior. If the allegations are trumped up in a clear ploy for custody, we will work to show that there is no history of abuse or credible evidence that the child is in harm's way.
We represent custodial and non-custodial parents in the Santa Monica area and across greater Los Angeles and Southern California. Call us at 310-584-7714 or toll free at 888-871-6245 or contact us online to arrange a confidential consultation.
