Legal Question in Family Law in Illinois

Re: advice on what to do about abusive father/ex husband

As for any legal questions, it is almost impossible to give "the" perfect advise without knowing all details and all past legal history of the party seeking the advice. However, in general terms, any time a parent is abusive toward a child, a TRO should be sought to avoid contact with the parent. a TRO is a temporary restraining order issued by a Court. this would allow you and your wife to continue with your life without worrying about harmful interference with your step children's life on the part of the natural father. in addition, this gives your wife a legal means to address the issue in the event he violates the TRO. additional measures can be sought also through the Court that took care of the divorce proceedings. most likely there is an order in place that regulates the relationship between the father and the children, and his behavior may also be in violation of that order. the best thing to do would be go to court. there is much you can do for your wife... it is her duty and right to pursue this issue in a court of law. as the step father you have very little rights unless for example he disrupted your family on your premises, showed up uninvited and were abusive toward you or traspassed.

I hope this helps, but please keep in mind that to better assess your situation it is necessary to look at your wife's case in its totality and consider all circumstances.

Tiziana Ventimiglia