Parental Alienation

Long Island Family Law Attorney

Parental alienation or interference with a parent-child relationship can have a very serious and negative impact on a child. The interference can be blatant and aggressive, but often times it is subtle and surreptitiously executed by the other parent. Subtle and surreptitious interference can be just as damaging as blatant interference and can take many forms. Some forms of subtle interference include the parent’s mannerisms, body language and facial expressions; the way things are said; keeping a child’s schedule busy in order to keep them away from the other parent; making a child feel as if they are “against” or are hurting a parent if the child spends time with or enjoys the other parent; the manner in which a parent’s voice changes when speaking to or about the other parent, and the like. A child has a right to have a meaningful relationship with both of his or her parents and any interference with that right is taken very seriously by the court.

A parent who is the victim of alienating or interfering behaviors can provide proof to the court that the other parent does not have the ability to foster a meaningful relationship between the child(ren) and that parent, and that the other parent is, therefore, not a suitable custodial parent. In extreme cases, the court may determine that the parent engaging in such behaviors should have only supervised or therapeutic contact with the child(ren) or worse: no contact at all.

Proving that a parent has engaged in such behavior requires an experienced and professional attorney who can put together the right legal strategy and team of professionals in order to ensure that custody of the child(ren) is not placed with the unsuitable parent and that the appropriate level of contact, if any, is ordered by the court. Likewise, if you are defending an alienation allegation made against you, you will need to ensure that you have the proper legal strategy and a team of professionals to assist in your defense. Without the proper legal guidance, these cases tend to grow to a point that makes it difficult to achieve a satisfactory resolution. We can help you end this type of interference with the relationship between you and your children. Call us today at office.