FAMILY COURT ABUSED ITS DISCRETION BY REFUSING TO ALLOW MOTHER TO APPEAR BY TELEPHONE FROM FLORIDA.
The Fourth Department determined Family Court, in a neglect proceeding, abused its discretion by refusing mother's request to appear by telephone:
The record establishes that the mother moved to Florida, with financial assistance from DSS, during the period between the fact-finding hearing and the dispositional hearing. She requested permission to make future appearances by telephone, and the court denied the request, citing “the facts and circumstances of the case” and its preference that the mother be present “as any party of the proceeding should be present.” While section 75-j does not require courts to allow testimony by telephone or electronic means in all cases … , we conclude that the ruling here, in which the court failed to consider the impact of the mother's limited financial resources on her ability to travel to New York, was an abuse of discretion … . Matter of Thomas B. (Calla B.), 2016 NY Slip Op 03640, 4th Dept, 5-6-16
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