Please E-mail suggested additions, comments and/or corrections to Kent@MoreLaw.Com.
Help support the publication of case reports on MoreLaw
Date: 11-05-2024
Case Style:
Kenneth L. Thomas v. Megahn M. Cleary
Case Number: 46365
Judge: Grossman
Court: Superior Court, New Haven County, Connecticut
Plaintiff's Attorney:
Defendant's Attorney:
Description:
New Haven, Connecticut family law lawyers represented the Plaintiff and Defendant in a divorce action involving minor children.
The plaintiff and the defendant are the parents of three minor children. The plaintiff first initiated a custody action in 2019. On July 25, 2022, after a fully contested hearing, the court, Grossman, J., made the following oral findings regarding the defendant: ''[V]arious professionals have expressed concern with the [defendant's] ability to address the children's emotional needs appropriately. . . . [They] reported that the [defendant] appeared disconnected from the children at times, unable to respond to them or redirect them appropriately.... Those same individuals noted examples of the [defendant] repeatedly taking a small, otherwise normal or not especially concerning behavior by the children or a child and misreading it and creating a bigger, alarming meaning to that behavior. This tendency led the [defendant] to claim that the [plaintiff] was molesting the children, taking pornographic pictures of the children, and using drugs when it turns out that none of these things were true. This tendency by the [defendant] is well documented and it is harmful for the children. These events are exaggerated and they are inaccurate. They distract the [defendant] from focusing on what the children actually need in the moment. They also caused her to have the children examined and interviewed and separated from [the plaintiff] for long periods of time....
''The [defendant] has repeatedly and falsely accused the [plaintiff] of sexually molesting the children. She withheld the children from him on this basis for six months. The police, the Department of Children and Families [(DCF)], [various professionals evaluating the children in clinical settings], and the [guardian ad litem (GAL)] determined that these allegations were not true. However, even in her testimony the [defendant] was unable to satisfactorily explain these events to the court. She indicated no understanding, to this court or to anyone else that this court heard from, about the negative impact this behavior had on her children. Her historical willingness to cut the children off from their father is troubling....
* * *
Thomas v. Cleary, AC 46365 (Conn. App. Nov 05, 2024)
Outcome: The court issued the following orders: ''The parties will share joint legal custody. In the event of a dispute, and after consultation and discussion with the [defendant], the [plaintiff] may make a final decision in all issues regarding the children. . . . The children will reside primarily with [the plaintiff]. If he deems it appropriate, he may change the school district the children attend.
Affirmed
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: