The name “Responsible Individuals List” may sound like an accolade to parents; however, this is a misnomer. For those unfortunate enough to find their family in the midst of an investigation of child abuse, neglect, and dependency the List is likely to be mentioned. It is important that anyone who…
Articles Posted in domestic violence
The Taxpayer Who Cried Wolf (Hardin v. Comm’r)
Hardin v. Comm’r, T.C. Memo. 2016-141, 2016 WL 4006806 (2016) Facts: Husband and wife were married in During the marriage, the husband was partner in a law firm, and he also ran a sports management business. The wife was owner and president of a financial planning company. The husband was…
Child Abuse and Spousal Privilege
by Jennifer Crissman, Woodruff Family Law GroupAs a parent, it is a nightmare even to imagine your child being harmed. But for some families in the Piedmont, this is a grim reality. The scenario turns even darker when there are allegations that your spouse harmed the child. This places the parent in a terrible position: trying…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 12 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn the final installment of our twelve-part practical series for attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties, we will review the case of State v. Deanes. In our hypothetical situation from Part 1, there were multiple hearsay statements made by the children to various family members, social workers, medical practitioners…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 11 of 12 Parts
by Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn this installment of our series for family law practitioners in Guilford and surrounding counties, we will discuss the case of State v. Burgess. In our hypothetical scenario, the two children made statements to their grandmother about the abuse by their uncle. Although the timing and circumstances surrounding the statements…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 10 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn part 10 of our practical series for family law attorneys practicing in the Piedmont Triad, we will review the case Matter of Lucas which provides guidance on hearsay statements made to physicians regarding sexual abuse. In our scenario in part 1 of the series, the two children told their…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 9 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupPart 9 of our continuing series for family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties focuses on the admission of hearsay from social workers and the Department of Social Services. When there is a case that has allegations of abuse, there will likely be intervention from the Department of…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 8 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn this part of our continuing practical series, we will address the issues family law attorneys face when trying to admit DSS records and social worker’s testimony into evidence in Guilford and surrounding counties. Matter of Smith is a particularly useful case for when the child has made statements to…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 7 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupFor the next several installments of our practical series for family law attorneys in Piedmont Triad area, we will be reviewing the admission of hearsay statements through the business records exception, Rule 803(6). In this installment, we will consider the case of In re S.W., 625 S.E. 2d 594 (N.C.…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 6 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn this part of our series we are reviewing a case that is unpublished, but extremely helpful for family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties presenting testimony by professionals from a Children’s Advocacy Center. For those who are not familiar with Children’s Advocacy Centers, these facilities are designed…