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Child Custody cases frequently come down to a She Said/He Said battle for the judges in the Superior Courts of Los Angeles County. They have to read dueling declarations, and listen to long winded testimony about why the other parent is negligent, deficient, abusive or incompetent.

As a Parental Alienation case is developed in our offices in Los Angeles, we survey the whole landscape of what is being alleged and what is available to prove that the Alienating Parent is at fault.

Psychotherapists are mandated reporters in California, which means that if they suspect child abuse is happening they have to report it to the local child protective services. In Los Angeles County that is the Department of Child and Family Services

Child Custody cases where the parties are fighting over the Legal Custody or Physical Custody, or both, of the child or children will always show the true colors of the parties. The heat of battle burns off the facades and the true character of the parents is what is left.

In California, beginning in 2012, children over the age of 14 may be heard by the court if the judge decides that it will be helpful. Most of the judges that I have heard speak on the subject are going to be very cautious about allowing children into the courtroom.

The parable of the frog and the scorpion is most appropriate when dealing with a child custody case that has parental alienation going on. Mrs. Scorpion wanted to get to the other side of the river, so she asked Mr. Frog to carry her across. He said, “If I do that you’ll sting me and I’ll die.” She replied, “but then I would die also.” Mr. Frog, thinking she would act in her best interest, agreed to carry her across the river, and when they were halfway, she stung him. “Why? why did you do it?...

Child Custody is not a game, but some parents, those who want to alienate the other parent, play games to create an environment that will alienate or estrange the child from the other parent. For the accomplished player, who is as skilled as Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, there are many ways to “win”. The first thing that happens in a parental alienation case is that the information about the child stops or is monitored by the alienating parent. They screen the calls, intercept emails, ...

The term Parental Alienation Syndrome is disputed and not accepted by the American Psychological Association at this time, however, when the following symptoms appear, it is evident that there is parental alienation (without the “syndrome”) going on, and the family dynamic in the context of a child custody case is in dysfunction.

Parents who are engaging in alienating behavior in a child custody case, who want to secure sole legal custody and sole physical custody of their children generally fall into four main categories: The Intrusive Parent – they fear loss of control over the child so they attempt to dictate all aspects of the interactions with the Targeted Parent. The demand adherence to a set of arbitrary rules and activities for the aligned child that have little basis in reality. They are trying to control the ...

For the targeted parent in a child custody battle, there is a large amount of confusion as to what is really going on, and what can be done. When a client comes to my office in Santa Monica, we begin by surveying the battlefield. We identify the alienating parent’s behavior to date so that we can begin to clear the mud.