Legal Question in Family Law in Virginia

Re: Parental Alienation

Your situation is common. One of the factors of custody is each parent's ability to foster a loving relationship between the child and the other parent. This includes a step parent! If Mom is bashing you or father to the child, she should be restricted. If a prior Court Order states that the parties are admonished from speaking badly about each other, then you could file a Show Cause for Contempt of Court for the Judge to apply some further terms (counseling, therapy, change of schedule) that might apply. If this is not specifically stated in a Court Order, then an extreme measure you might take is a Motion to Amend the Prior Court Order just so the Judge might issue such a direct admonission. It is not cheap to hire a competent attorney however, and I never reccomend going into a Courtroom without one. In Summary, Mother needs to be put under control and a clear message about the need to co-parent needs to be cemented into her brain. She could lose custody or other privileges if she persists. Good luck.

Re: Parental Alienation

These situations are frustrating and unproductive for the well-being of the child. Keep in mind that the Juvenile and Domestic Relations courts don't care about her and they don't care about you, they really only care about the kid and what she is doing is not in the child's best interests. She should be brought up on a Show Cause order and have to explain to the court why she is violating the court order. Good luck!

Shane Jimison

Richmond, Virginia