Learning From Others' Mistakes

In an article written by Honorable Anne Kass, a learning experience begs to be heard. Anne Kass is a District Judge in the Second Judicial District State of New Mexico. In her eyes, the father involved in the following custody case should have been named "Father of the Year." Here is what occurred. The father involved in a custody battle happened to be a policeman and was divorced. On many occasions as part of his job, he would go out on domestic abuse calls. On one particular instance, he responded to a call where a husband and wife were in a heavy argument and the son was present, feeling quite obviously upset. The son asked the officer if he could do something to get them to just stop fighting. The officer, not knowing how else to calm the teenager, gave him his phone number and said he could call him when ever he needed a friend and upon occasion, the son did so.

One evening, the son called the officer but could not reach him. Later that same evening the officer was called to a home responding to a teenage suicide. It was the son and he left a note saying that he guessed the only way to get his parents to stop fighting was to kill himself.

The officers own court appearance for his custody case was scheduled just a few days after that event and in the words of Judge Kass, this is what happened. "He walked into the court proceeding and said, "I will agree to my son leaving New Mexico with his mother and coming back to see me during school breaks and holidays. This fight is over."

"This father gave his son the most loving and generous gift in the world. He gave his son peace. The cost of the gift to the father was enormous, not in money, but in time with his child, which is priceless and can never be replaced. If you are involved in a child custody case and need some expert help, contact a Los Angeles child custody lawyer at Claery & Green at 310-362-2273.