At the end of June, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced that child custody proceedings in the state are about to go under the microscope. A new working group has been formed to study child custody proceedings that involve domestic violence. These are some of the most difficult of all child custody proceedings and currently, the state has a problem dealing with them.
The problem is when victims of domestic violence come forward with their story during child custody hearings, they are often not believed. When abuse is raised during custody battles, very few cases are investigated or even considered. Attorneys are aware of this and will sometimes advise victims not to mention the abuse, as it could make them look vengeful and alienate judges.
“It is about time something was done about this problem,” says Tammy Begun of The Capital Family Law Group. “These are already some of the most difficult cases for those involved. Knowing a child may be in imminent danger makes it so much harder.”
That was the inspiration behind the creation of the new group. Hera McLeod lost her 15-month-old son when he was murdered in 2012 by his father. The boy was killed for life insurance benefits, and during a visitation with his father McLeod had opposed. McLeod’s story was one of many that sparked the Governor to form a new group.
The group is made up of state legislators, parents affected by decisions in child custody hearings, and a number of experts in domestic violence, child custody issues, and child abuse. After studying Maryland’s child custody proceedings, the group will make recommendations. These will include how the courts can eliminate implicit biases in child custody proceedings, and make informed decisions in these extremely difficult cases.
The first report from the group is due December 1, 2019. While there will be much more work to be done in Maryland child custody proceedings once those recommendations are made, it certainly is a good start.
