This case is a good example of why you should be courteous and polite in court cases, even if the other party or attorney is being accusatory or rude to you. Judges have the ability to make many decisions about your life, so you want to be looked at in a good light.
A bitter custody battle playing out in Oakland County has finally led to a judge’s reprimand. According to the news from Feb. 24, a couple has been fighting for years in court over their three children, but a new judge on the case wants to see the parents treat each other with more respect. The judge reported being disappointed, because some of the documents were incredibly hostile.
The judge determined that the case was, in fact, too hostile. She spoke with both parties about tolerance; the court would no longer allow disparaging or derisive commentary around the case.
This case first came to the media’s attention when the case’s previous judge sent the children to juvenile detention; they refused to see their father during visitation times. That judge was accused of misconduct and forced to step down from the case. She had previously alleged that the mother had alienated her children from their father.
The mother of the children has accused the father of abusive and bullying behavior. She claims the children don’t want to see their father because of fear. Because of that, the previous judge ordered that the father and children be part of a parental alienation program for 90 days without contact with the mother.
Source: Detroit Free Press, “Parents in bitter Oakland custody battle told to behave,” Ronelle Grier, Feb. 24, 2016
