Defendant's Attorney:

Description: Danbury, Connecticut family law lawyers represented the parties in a child custody dispute.


The plaintiff and the defendant, who never were married, became parents to a son in December, 2015. After living together for several years, the plaintiff filed the present action seeking joint legal custody of the parties' child on January 19, 2022.[1] He requested that the primary residence of the child be with him and sought an order
regarding a parental physical access schedule and visitation. The plaintiff also sought a parenting responsibility plan for the parental decision-making regarding the child and an order of child support. On the same day, the plaintiff filed an application for an emergency ex parte order of custody, in which he requested an order directing the defendant not to remove the child from Connecticut. In his affidavit in support of the application, the plaintiff averred that the defendant had planned to take the child to live in her studio apartment in New York City and also ''threatened to take the . . . child to Florida.'' The plaintiff further averred: ''The [defendant] keeps threatening to take my son away from me and I believe she and her mother are making plans to take him against his and my will, so I am afraid to say anything to her.'' The court denied the plaintiff's application for an emergency ex parte order of custody. The parties subsequently agreed that the child would continue to reside in Brookfield until they reached an additional written agreement or any change by order of the court. The parties' agreement was approved and made an order of the court on February 14, 2022.

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FAMILY LAW. CHILD SUPPORT. The case addresses an appeal regarding a child support award, questioning whether the trial court erred by deviating from the Connecticut child support guidelines without making necessary specific findings and justifications for the deviation based on the guidelines' criteria.

FAMILY LAW. CHILD CUSTODY. The dispute involves the trial court's decision to grant joint legal custody, designating the defendant with decision-making authority on health issues, and examining whether the court's determinations were supported by facts and applied appropriate legal standards.

Key Phrases Joint legal custody. Child support guidelines. Deviation criteria. Presumptive support amounts. Coordination of total family resources.

Outcome: Reversed and remanded.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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