Dirty Tricks in Divorce Harm Parental Relationships
When you are getting divorced and you have children, you may be surprised how far your spouse will go to try to get sole custody of the kids. While not every custody battle turns ugly, many mothers believe the children are better off with them, and they will go to great lengths to convince a court to take their side. In some cases, a mother may falsely accuse a father of child neglect or abuse to allege he is unfit to be a parent.
Facing false allegations of child abuse or neglect may seem like a dream – after all, you know you did not act wrongfully toward your kids. However, this is a very real situation, and you need the right attorney who is ready to defend against these allegations in family court.
The Affect of Child Abuse and Neglect Accusations
Under Oklahoma law, judges are required to consider allegations of child abuse when making custody decisions. If a judge truly believes that you engaged in harmful conduct toward your child, it could result in very limited visitation rights for you. You may even have to hold supervised visits with your children if the court believes you may put their emotional or physical well-being at risk. These supervised visits can continue after your divorce is final, and it can be challenging to convince the court to modify the child custody order down the road. In addition, having less time with your child may increase your child support obligations significantly.
To make matters worse, the state Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Protective Services (CPS) unit will likely conduct an investigation into the allegations. Even if you know that you would never mistreat your child, you must take the investigation seriously and cooperate fully. A failure to do so often results in suspicion that you do not care, leading to a greater suspicion that you might engage in neglect. Yet your well-intended cooperation can give DHS a means to reinforce the allegations. When DHS calls, you need to call a skilled child abuse defense attorney.
Seek Legal Assistance Right Away
While you should always have legal representation when facing a divorce, you should immediately call a father’s right attorney if your spouse is accusing you of child neglect or abuse. Even if the allegations are completely unfounded, they can still affect a court’s decision regarding child custody and child support if you do not sufficiently prove they are false.
False accusations can affect your relationship with your children, your finances, and your reputation. In some cases, they can even result in the loss of all parental rights, a protective order against you, or even criminal allegations. You never want to risk allowing such accusations to get too far, as they can snowball quickly and have lasting effects on your life.
Contact a Tulsa Father’s Rights Attorney
If your spouse is willing to falsely accuse you of mistreating your children to gain custody rights, she is likely ready to wage war regarding other issues in your divorce, as well. You need a committed Tulsa divorce attorney for men who knows how to protect your rights, interests, and reputation. Contact me today at (918) 986-7724 or send an inquiry to my office using the contact link on this page.
