Dad Hasn't Seen or Spoken to His Child for an Extended Period
The Previous Hearing:
Dad Expressed His Frustration at Not Being Able to Communicate with His Son for Two Years
• Dad Expressed His Frustration at Not Being...
Court hearing regarding parenting time between Eric Sims (father) and Kendall Toll (mother) for their 13-year-old child, Caleb. Here's a summary of the key issues and the court's decisions:
Key Issues:
Lack of Contact Between Father and Child: The father hasn't seen or spoken to his child for an extended period. He requests FaceTime or texting, but this has been denied by the court.
Therapeutic Visitation: The court previously ordered therapeutic visitation at Family Counseling and Shelter Services. However, the father wants the option of private therapeutic visitation. The agency is experiencing staffing issues and significant delays.
Counseling for Caleb: Caleb is on a long waitlist for counseling at Family Counseling and Shelter Services.
Insurance Coverage: Caleb's insurance coverage is unclear and a source of contention. The father doesn't have insurance covering his son.
Licensed Therapists: The availability of licensed therapists for both therapeutic visitation and Caleb's individual counseling is a major hurdle.
Court's Decisions and Recommendations:
Modified Therapeutic Visitation: The court allows for the possibility of private therapeutic visitation in addition to Family Counseling and Shelter Services.
New Agency for Caleb's Counseling: The court orders the mother to find a different agency for Caleb's counseling due to the long waitlist at Family Counseling and Shelter Services. The court wants this resolved within a week.
Father to Add Caleb to Insurance: The father is ordered to add Caleb to his state insurance within one week. The mother will provide Caleb's social security number.
Contact Between Father and Child: The court suggests waiting for some face-to-face contact (through therapeutic visitation) before allowing FaceTime.
Next Hearing: A follow-up hearing is scheduled for November 26th at 8:30 am via Zoom to review progress. The father is to schedule the first therapeutic visitation session with Ethan at Family Counseling and Shelter Services immediately.
Overall: The judge is clearly frustrated with the delays and lack of progress in establishing a relationship between the father and child. The hearing focuses on removing obstacles—the lack of licensed therapists, long waitlists, and insurance issues—to facilitate contact and counseling for both the father and child. The judge emphasizes the need for action and accountability from both parents.
Child support is money paid by one parent to the other parent for the purpose of providing financial support to a child or children. Most frequently, child support is paid by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent, but this is not always the case. Depending on where you live and the agreement you reach, the child support you pay or receive and what expenses it should cover will vary.
Judge: The presiding judge.
Mother (Kendall Toll): Represented by Attorney Dream Reazugorski.
Father (Eric Sims): Representing himself.
Attorney Dream Reazugorski: Representing the mother.
Key Issues:
Lack of Contact Between Father and Child: The father hasn't seen his 13-year-old daughter for an extended period. He's repeatedly been denied FaceTime or text communication with her by the court.
Therapeutic Visitation: The court previously ordered therapeutic visitation through Family Counseling and Shelter Services, but the father hasn't actively pursued it. He wants a more flexible arrangement, possibly outside of this agency.
Daughter's Counseling (Caleb): The daughter, referred to as Caleb, needs counseling, but is on a long waiting list at Family Counseling and Shelter Services.
Insurance Coverage: The daughter now has insurance, which should alleviate the financial burden of counseling.
Communication Breakdown: Significant communication issues exist between the parties, the attorneys, and the court, regarding scheduling, therapy options, and the daughter's well-being.
Court's Actions and Decisions:
The judge initially accepts the recommendation for a court review on February 4th, 2025, to re-evaluate the parenting time schedule.
The judge expresses concern about the length of time the father hasn't seen his daughter and the lack of progress in establishing contact.
The judge acknowledges the father's desire for more flexibility in therapeutic visitation.
The judge is highly critical of the lengthy waitlist at Family Counseling and Shelter Services for both therapeutic visitation and the daughter's individual counseling.
The judge directs Attorney Reazugorski to identify alternative agencies for both the therapeutic visitation and the daughter's counseling.
The judge emphasizes the urgency of establishing contact between the father and daughter and getting the daughter into counseling promptly. The lengthy delay is unacceptable.
@courtwatchers