Child Abuse Accusations
There are few crimes in life to be accused of committing worse than child abuse. Even if one is ultimately cleared of charges, the stigma of such allegations can stay with someone for the rest of their life. Child abuse allegations are very serious and can impact you personally and professionally. Allegations of child abuse are taken very seriously in dissolution cases. Unfortunately, there are sometimes false allegations made in the dissolution setting.
If the allegations are credible, you could lose out on spending time with your child or children moving forward. In worst-case scenarios, this could mean no contact at all. The sad part is that even if you are cleared of false allegations you might lose out on several months or years of time with your children trying to clear your name and even when cleared, your soon-to-be-ex may still try and use the allegations against you in the future. If child abuse is an allegation in your divorce case, you need competent and experienced legal counsel whether you are asserting abuse has occurred or you are defending abuse allegations.
Has Child Abuse Been Alleged In Your Divorce?
When you’ve been accused of being a child abuser, here are a few things you need to keep in mind as you head toward divorce:
- Fighting the allegations – Your No. 1 task at hand is to fight the allegations of domestic violence in a way that does not make your situation worse. Simply sitting back and doing nothing is a recipe for disaster. Make sure you come up with as much evidence as possible to refute such claims. On the flip side of the coin, keep in mind that some jurisdictions require parents to report suspected child abuse. So, what happens if you suspect your spouse of being abusive to your child or children? If you fail to report such allegations, you could find yourself in trouble with the law even when you are not the abuser.
- What your children have to say – When accused of child abuse, what your children have to say on the matter is important. Unfortunately, some married couples going through divorce will manipulate the children into making false statements or turn the children against the other parent. Even when your children know you did not abuse them, your spouse may compel them to state otherwise for the record.
- Body of evidence – Child abuse tends to come in two forms – physical and mental. With physical abuse, the evidence can be rather clear-cut. The question then becomes, are you the abuser or not? Could it be your spouse or someone they are currently seeing outside of your marriage who is in fact responsible for the abuse? Any signs of child abuse against your children should be documented from the moment they are spotted. Child abuse also comes in the form of mental or verbal abuse. Are you accused of being a verbal abuser or do you suspect your spouse is in fact being abusive toward your child or children?
Let A Family Law Attorney Go To Work For You
Finally, it is important not to talk to police or child protective services without having consulted a family law attorney first. He or she can advise you of your rights and help you avoid any notable missteps that could cost you custody as the divorce arrangements are being worked out.
With the right family law attorney fighting for you, you have a much better chance of winning your case. For help, call us at 206-536-2875 or send a message online.