Articles Tagged with child abuse

In 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 grandmother about the incident, which in turn led to the children being seen by a doctor. In the visit with the doctor, the children made statements about the abuse. One of the grounds opposing counsel may bring up is that a physician did not treat the children, but merely examined them to gather evidence for any criminal investigation stemming from the abuse allegations. The case of Matter of Lucas is directly relevant. Matter of Lucas, 380 S.E.2d 563 (N.C. App. 1989). Continue reading →

For 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. App. 2006). Continue reading →

In this part of our series we are reviewing a case that is unpublished, but extremely helpful for family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties presenting testimony by professionals from a Children’s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. Continue reading →

The next case that family law practitioners in Guilford and surrounding counties will find beneficial in the admission of hearsay statements is the case of State v. Hinnant, 523 S.E2d 663, 351 N.C. 277 (2000). According to our fact pattern from Part 1 of our series, the children Aaron and Billy were ages 5 and 3. Let us assume that at the custody trial 5 year old Aaron is permitted to testify about the sexual abuse. However, upon the start of the testimony, Aaron becomes inconsolably upset and cannot be calmed to resume his testimony. What then is the attorney to do? Continue reading →

As we discussed in Part 2 of our series, family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties have difficulty when trying to admit hearsay statements regarding alleged sexual abuse in custody cases. While there may be several ways to have these hearsay statements admitted, it is crucial the attorney determines the most viable hearsay exception that can be applied. In situations where a child has given statements to several professionals at a Children’s Advocacy Center, it can be frustrating as there is a dearth of case law on statements given at Children’s Advocacy Centers. However, a recent case from the N.C. Court of Appeals that is particularly helpful is State v. McLaughlin, No. COA15-333. Continue reading →

In our fact pattern from Part 1 of our series, the first indication of child sexual abuse was in the statements Aaron and Billy made to Grandmother. Family law attorneys in Guilford County would be wise to try to have these statements admitted under the exception in Rule 803(4) on hearsay, “Statements for Purposes of Medical Diagnosis or Treatment.” N.C.G.S. § 8C-1, Rule 803(4). While a practitioner’s first inclination may be to dismiss this hearsay exception as irrelevant since the statements were made to Grandmother who is not a medical professional, this exception is extremely flexible. Continue reading →