I had the ambivalent experience of reading a Court Order in a case with clear cut Parental Alienation. The Court ordered a Custody Evaluation by a forensic evaluator with deep experience with parental alienation. The report was very thorough and the recommendations were very clear.
Given the severity of the circumstances (which had been allowed to simmer for years due to procedural delays), it was recommended by the evaluator that custody be given from the alienating parent - who was clearly identified as such - to the targeted parent, in order to effect a remedy and to get the minor children out of the middle.
It was clear from the language of the Order that the Judge understood Parental Alienation and its presence in this case. The Judge's ruling contained the awarding of various fees to be paid by the alienating parent to the targeted parent, which seemed very reasonable as the alienating parent's behavior was clearly what caused the matter to have to go to court.
Then I think the Judge blinked, or stumbled, or something. The court ordered that the parents essentially share equally in the time with the minor children.
In spite of all of the other details provided by the evaluation, which supported the need for the children to be almost exclusively with the targeted parent, the Judge decided to split the time equally between the parents, which keeps them in the middle. Only now, fueled by anger and resentment over having to pay attorney's fees, this alienating parent will be even more so.
So what was it? Did the judge not really understand and only give lip service to the notion of parental alienation, or did the Judge lose his nerve? I really do not know, however I do know that what the court did order will not remedy the situation.
It was clear from the language of the Order that the Judge understood Parental Alienation and its presence in this case. The Judge's ruling contained the awarding of various fees to be paid by the alienating parent to the targeted parent, which seemed very reasonable as the alienating parent's behavior was clearly what caused the matter to have to go to court.
Then I think the Judge blinked, or stumbled, or something. The court ordered that the parents essentially share equally in the time with the minor children.
In spite of all of the other details provided by the evaluation, which supported the need for the children to be almost exclusively with the targeted parent, the Judge decided to split the time equally between the parents, which keeps them in the middle. Only now, fueled by anger and resentment over having to pay attorney's fees, this alienating parent will be even more so.
So what was it? Did the judge not really understand and only give lip service to the notion of parental alienation, or did the Judge lose his nerve? I really do not know, however I do know that what the court did order will not remedy the situation.
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