Custody & Abuse Cases

Below are a few of the cases taken on under DV LEAP's Custody & Abuse Project.

Wilkins v. Ferguson

D.C. Court of Appeals - 2007

DV LEAP won a resounding victory in this case, establishing a powerful precedent requiring courts to place safety first and to give due weight to a history of battering when considering child abuse allegations in the context of custody. - more

Fairchild v. Carson

D.C. Court of Appeals - decision pending

In this case DV LEAP is partnering with the Legal Aid Society of D.C., which represents the mother, in an appeal of a trial court’s award of custody to the children’s father who had violently beaten the mother. - more

Batia v. Debek

Connecticut Supreme Court- 2008

This case concerns an abuser's misuse of the tort of malicious prosecution to win a massive damages award against a mother who had sought to protect her daughter from his abuse. - more

Licata v. Licata

New Jersey Supreme Court - 2002

This case concerned the misuse of parental alienation syndrome, a pseudo-scientific theory widely used to negate allegations of abuse. - more