Child Custody and Access
Darius McCrary, famous for his role as Eddie on "Family Matters" has finally settled the terms of his divorce from former wife Tammy Brawner. Their divorce battle has spanned two years. Tammy Brawner, a former Harlem Globetrotter, and Darius filed final divorce documents on Monday, February 4th in Los Angeles.
With respect to the care and custody of their three-year-old daughter Zoey, Tammy will maintain legal and physical custody of the child. Darius will have parenting time with her on a weekly basis. There are a few conditions attached to Darius’s parenting time:
- His first 20 visits with Zoey will be monitored.
- He must also attend alcohol and drug abuse and batterers intervention classes over the next year, in addition to 6 parenting classes.
- Pending completion of the classes, he can then have unmonitored visits.
- He will still have to enroll in co-parenting classes.
In Ontario, where parents are involved in violent, abusive relationships and/or struggle with substance abuse, court Orders, as well as Separation Agreements can address these issues. It is not unusual for a court Order or Separation Agreement to set out terms and conditions for parental access. One manner of keeping children safe while in the care of a troubled parent is to require supervised access. This can be done at public centres for a fee, or can be done simply with a family member or friend present. Where the Children’s Aid Society becomes involved, the social worker assigned to a couple’s case may make recommendations as to what steps they think are necessary to protect the child’s well-being. It is always important to put the best interests of the children first when making these decisions, and this is the standard of judicial review applied when family matters end up in court.
If you are currently going through a divorce, contact us at Feldstein Family Law Group. Our attorneys will work alongside you to protect your parenting rights and all other personal assets during the divorce.