Legal Question in Family Law in Virginia

Parent Responsibility and Negligence

If a child is visiting a parent and while the child is over there, he accidently shoots another child from the father's new marriage, what can the father be charged with? The father was supposed to be at home, but he was out drinking with his friends. What type of responsibility does the father have over the child while the child is visiting his father?


Asked on 12/03/03, 5:00 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys

Michael Hendrickson Law Office Michael E. Hendrickson

Re: Parent Responsibility and Negligence

The father is responsible for a child who is visiting him in the same way that any parent would be responsible for supervising and caring for a child who is living with him full time.

If this supervision is so egregiously deficient that the visiting child is able to access a firearm and discharge it into another person, then this grossly negligent father would most likely find himself subject to not only civil

but criminal prosecution(s).

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Answered on 12/03/03, 6:08 pm


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