Judge Richardson-Mendelsohn, a Family Court judge sitting in Queens County, New York, has refused a request to allow a six-year-old boy to testify via a closed circuit television hookup in a Family Court proceeding seeking an order of protection against his uncle.
Z. Shareef, the boy’s mother, had brought a proceeding in the Queens Family Court seeking the extension of an order of protection against her husband’s brother. After bringing the application to the court, her attorney requested permission for the six-year-old boy to testify by a closed-circuit video hook-up.
Request for Video Hook-Up Denied
Family Court Judge Edwina G. Richardson-Mendelsohn denied the application to allow the six-year-old to testify by a video hook-up. She stated in her decision that respondent Nhassen’s constitutional rights outweighed the need to protect the boy from psychological trauma.
The petition brought by the boy’s attorney indicated the boy is so afraid of his uncle that he’ll be petrified when he enters the court room and will be unable to testify in open court. The judge rejected this argument, stating in her decision, “Although the petitioner contends that a her six-year-old son is scared of the respondent and therefore it will be traumatic for him to testify in [his] presence, no specific evidence supporting serious mental or emotional harm to the child has been presented.” The lawsuit brought by Ms. Shareef, the boy’s mother, indicates, among other allegations, that the uncle has kicked her son and also hit him in violation of an order of protection.
The Fathers’ Rights Lawyers at The Law Offices of Schlissel DeCorpo have been representing men regarding applications for orders of protection for more than three decades. Our office aggressively presents the fathers’ positions in cases brought by Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) and Child Protective Services (CPS) for child abuse. We work with our clients to provide the best possible results in these proceedings. We also represent fathers in custody disputes, child support matters, visitation cases, spousal support matters, as well as all aspects of divorce litigation. If you are a father or a man faced with a difficult situation either in a divorce or Family Court proceeding, we are the law firm that can help you. Feel free to call us 24/7 at 1-800-344-6431, 516-561-6645 or 718-350-2802.
