How Can Parental Alienation Affect Custody In Florida?

Parental alienation is one of the many new terms you may need to become familiar with as you approach your custody battle in Florida. Like many other legal phrases, you may have no idea what this term actually means – but it could have a real effect on the outcome of your time-sharing agreement. But does Florida really consider parental alienation when approaching custody arrangements? How do you avoid parental alienation, and what happens if you’re accused of this? Let’s find out:

What is Parental Alienation? 

In simple terms, parental alienation occurs when one parent turns their children against the other parent. This may be achieved in a number of ways: First, the children could be encouraged to lie about abuse and misconduct allegedly committed by the other parent. The parent engaging in parental alienation may also lie about their ex to the children, leading them to believe things that simply aren’t true. General badmouthing of the target parent may also be considered parental alienation.

Is Parental Alienation a Legitimate Problem?

 In some cases, parental alienation can legitimately cause children to hate their parents for no real reason. Children are highly impressionable, and they may believe lies if they’re told by someone they trust – such as a mother or father. Parental alienation does have the potential to destroy relationships – sometimes permanently. On the other hand, some believe that parental alienation is relied upon heavily as a defense strategy in some divorces. When accused of serious misconduct like sexual abuse or substance abuse, the defendant can simply state that these allegations are the result of parental alienation. In other words, the child is only accusing them of abuse because they’ve been manipulated into lying – or even brainwashed – by the other parent. Because of these factors, the concept of parental alienation is somewhat controversial in Florida today.

How Can Parental Alienation Affect My Custody Case? 

Any legitimate cases of parental alienation can be considered by family courts when awarding custody. This is one of the many factors that affect a child’s best interests in the eyes of the Florida family courts. If you have been accused of parental alienation, it may negatively affect your custody case. However, your ex must prove that you actually engaged in this behavior first. If you believe that your ex is turning your children against you, this will only help your case if you can prove it actually occurred. For example, you could show the court text messages that your ex might have sent to your children.

Where Can I Find a Qualified, Experienced Custody Attorney in Florida? 

If you’ve been searching for a qualified, experienced Orlando family lawyer, look no further than Steve Marsee, P.A. Over the years, we have helped numerous divorcing spouses pursue the best possible results when fighting for custody. The truth is that there are many factors to consider when approaching this situation – and parental alienation is just one example of something that could affect the outcome of your time-sharing agreement. Book your consultation today to get started with an effective action plan.

Sources: 

triblive.com/local/regional/lawsuit-thousands-of-western-pa-residents-at-risk-after-ohio-train-derailment/

parentingforbrain.com/parental-alienation/