THE EVIDENCE PROVIDED BY THE THERAPIST THAT THE CHILDREN SUFFERED FROM PTSD, EXPERIENCED TRAUMA, AND EXPRESSED THEIR DESIRE TO STOP SEEING THEIR FATHER, COUPLED WITH THE CHILDREN’S STATEMENTS THAT THEY WITNESSED ABUSE, WARRANTED TERMINATION OF PARENTAL ACCESS WITH FATHER, FAMILY COURT REVERSED (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined the evidence demonstrated supervised parental access with father should have been terminated:

According to [Family Court], there was no legal authority to suspend the father’s parental access with the children premised solely on their therapists’ belief that the children witnessed domestic violence and were sexually abused by the father, when no such transgressions had been alleged in the petitions or proven.

A parent’s parental access, even supervised, should not be suspended unless there is substantial evidence that the parental access would be detrimental to the welfare of the child … . The determination to suspend a parent’s parental access is within the sound discretion of the Family Court based upon the best interests of the child, and its determination will not be set aside unless it lacks a sound and substantial basis in the record … .

Here, the Family Court’s determination lacks a sound and substantial basis in the record, which shows that parental access with the father, even if supervised, would not be in the children’s best interests. The uncontroverted evidence established that the children suffered from PTSD, experienced both physical and mental manifestations of trauma when having parental access with the father, and expressed their desire to cease parental access with him. In addition, each child corroborated the other’s statements regarding the abuse they witnessed in the home. Matter of Mia C. (Misael C.), 2019 NY Slip Op 00270, Second Dept 1-16-19