Domestic Violence May Have Serious Consequences.

Domestic Violence and Child Custody Cases May Have Serious Consequences.

Domestic Violence is a very difficult and painful subject with serious criminal and legal consequences.  Child Custody battles can be caustic and, at times, may also have criminal consequences. If you are a victim of Domestic Violence, or a person accused of Domestic Violence, you need to know that these charges be a extremely serious matter.

I recently read the story in the American Bar Association Journal, of a young woman who had been beaten by the father of her newborn.  The young woman fled Washington State where she had been living and moved to Texas with her infant baby daughter. The baby´s father successfully created a ruse that, for a while, fooled the woman and the legal system in both states; today though Eling McCabe Orton is charged with custodial interference and perjury.

According to the ABA Journal, the mother gave birth in December. In January, Orton sought a court-supervised parenting plan and tricked a process server into giving the paperwork to an impersonator rather than the real mom, according to prosecutors in Seattle. Orton then filed for and got sole custody of the baby in a default judgment, because the real mom failed to appear at a court hearing–which she had never been notified of because she had never been served, the newspaper reports.

Due to the ruling in Washington, Texas authorities seized the baby from the unidentified mother on Jan. 27 and gave the 2-month-old infant to Orton who fled from Texas and returned with the baby and returned to Washington.

The defendant has gone to great lengths perpetrating this fraud,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Gary Ernsdorff said in charging papers, adding that Orton had also involved “numerous members of his family” in the deception. “Orton was booked into the King County Jail on Friday, where he is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

Circumstances such as the one we are describing here are extremely serious, with far reaching consequences for all concerned. If you or a loved one is involved in a case of Domestic Violence call us.  An experienced attorney will be necessary in order to navigate the very strict laws that regulate Domestic Violence issues.

We at Regan Law can provide you with experienced and skilled counsel on all matters relative to Domestic Violence prosecution.  If you have been involved in Domestic Violence, do not ignore the problem.  If you do, you may find that you are battling a long and often protracted legal process. Your job may be in jeopardy if you are accused of Domestic Violence and your parental rights threatened.

If you are the victim of Domestic Violence, prosecutors are only responsible for pursuing the alleged perpetrator and cannot ethically provide you legal advice about anything other than the criminal case.

Child Custody, visitation and support are all important issues that must be addressed if you and the accused batterer and have children together.  Therefore, it is crucial that you receive independent counsel with respect to these issues.

REMEMBER: This web site does not attempt, in any way, to offer our readers with legal advice.  We are simply offer an overview of a possible situation.