In matters related to the custody of children, courts throughout Massachusetts as well as throughout the rest of the United States look to preserve the children’s best interests. Achieving this important standard can require courts to examine the personal and professional lives of the parents and individuals who appear before them seeking custodial power over the children. In doing so individuals who wish to attain custody of the children can make damaging accusations against the other individuals whose intentions also include custodial rights.
An example of this situation happening in the real world is currently playing out between an NFL star and his former girlfriend. Jimmy Smith is a successful athlete with the Baltimore Ravens football organization. Smith is also the father of a three-year-old child that he shares with a former partner. Smith has acknowledged the child as his and at present shares custody of the child with the child’s mother.
However, the mother of the child is in the process of seeking sole custody of the child, claiming the Smith uses illegal drugs, parties, exposes the child to damaging influences and engages in other potentially detrimental behaviors. The mother also claims that Smith was abusive to her and that he should not have custody of their child.
Smith and his family law attorneys have denied the allegations made against him and also seek to secure sole custody of the child for him. It will be up to the court to sort out the truth of any of the mother’s allegations and to weigh the needs of the child in establishing changes to the parents’ operating child custody agreement.
Child custody matters can become unpleasant when parents cannot agree on how best to serve their kids’ needs. The support of dedicated family law legal counselors can be important to the success of parents’ custodial fights.
Source: Baltimoresun.com, “Ravens’ Jimmy Smith denies ex-girlfriend’s allegations of drug use and domestic violence in custody dispute,” Jeff Barker, Nov. 2, 2017
