Legal Question in Family Law in Florida
I have been divorced 2 years. I have a 1 year domestic violence restraining order against my ex and really need a parenting coordinator as he won't live up to the terms of the parenting plan and misinterprets it to continue to harass me and create more contact between us. Can I still file a motion to appoint a parenting coordinator if he does not agree under these circumstances? If not, then what? I specifically need to address instances when he will not produce the kids for my holiday visitation and every week he will only exchange kids with me personally, not a babysitter,not a grandparent and I have a no-contact DV order in place so I know it is continued harassment. My parenting plan allows for the grandparents to see the kids, babysit and has a list of approved sitters I should be able to send to avoid the face to face confrontation on two of our kids we rotate custody on weekly. Thank you.
4 Answers from Attorneys
A parenting coordinator may be more "talky-feely" than what you need. A parenting coordinator may work in your situation, and you may want to try one, but generally parenting coordinators are for people who don't have injunctions but need some help communicating. Your situation sounds like it's more time to go back to mediation--or even the judge--and have your agreement modified to be more specific. You may want to discuss it with an attorney.
Hello: Your question has multiple issues. As such, I would need more info and time to give proper legal advice. Briefly, if he is violating DV judgment, you can get him arrested. If he is not allowing for the parenting time set forth in the FJ, you can file a motion for contempt before the family law judge. If his behavior continues to thwart your time with kids and is causing emotional harm to the kids, you can file a Petition to modify the FJ as it pertains to his time with the kids (to reduce that time).
As you can see, this could be complicated. Perhaps if the court held him in contempt a time or two, he would start complying with the laws. If my office can be of any assistance, please give us a call. Tom Rosenblum
Agree with Mr. Rose a parent coordinator is OK but you may want to consider going back before the judge to sort things out.
A parenting coordinator may be just the thing to address your concerns. However you probably need to consult with a local attorney in your area so you can address all of your concerns.
Best Wishes