Expert Testimony

ASK THREE MENTORS: Which collaterals are typically most and least helpful as witnesses in custody disputes, and why?

by August 1, 2023

edited by Laura Ramsey “Ask Three Mentors” is a question-and-answer column, produced exclusively for Insights, that highlights the fact that members of AFCC are attorneys, judges, and mental health professionals.  Many of our most experienced members are committed to mentoring and passing on the wealth of knowledge they’ve acquired through years of work in the field of family law.  Each month we will pose a custody-related question to three members of our panel of exceptionally […]

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What I Have Learned in 44 Years of Investigating and Litigating Custody Matters Where Child Sexual Abuse and Family Violence is Alleged or Suspected

by January 14, 2022

You cannot trust what you see and hear:  children deny; adult victims deny; and, above all, those who commit abusive acts deny.  Courts recognize that parents who learn of abuse of their children by the other parent often act counterintuitively.  (People v. McAlpin (1991) 53 Cal.3d 1289, 1302 (mothers not reporting known abuse).)  A child’s recantation after disclosing sexual abuse is a common occurrence and too often taken as the truth of what happened.  (See […]

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