Single Act of Excessive Corporal Punishment Justified Neglect and Derivative Neglect Findings/Single Act of Domestic Violence Did Not Justify Neglect and Derivative Neglect Findings—No Proof the Three-Month-Old Child Was Aware of the Domestic-Violence Incident

The Second Department determined a single act of excessive corporal punishment (slamming to the floor and choking) justified a finding of neglect and derivative neglect.  However a single act of domestic violence did not justify the same findings because there was no proof the three-month-old child was aware of the domestic violence.

[Re: corporal punishment, the court wrote:] “While parents have the right to use reasonable physical force against a child in order to maintain discipline or to promote the child’s welfare, the use of excessive corporal punishment constitutes neglect … . A single incident of excessive corporal punishment may suffice to sustain a finding of neglect…” .

[Re: witnessing domestic violence, the court wrote]: “While domestic violence may be a permissible basis upon which to make a finding of neglect, [n]ot every child exposed to domestic violence is at risk of impairment'” … . Here, although there was testimony that the father engaged in an act of domestic violence against the mother while [the child], then three months old, was somewhere in the room, there is no evidence that the child saw, or was aware of, what happened, or that his emotional condition was impaired or placed in imminent danger of impairment by it …”. Matter of Dalia G. (Frank B.), 2015 NY Slip Op 04127, 2nd Dept 5-13-15