FAMILY COURT SHOULD NOT HAVE DELEGATED TO FATHER ITS AUTHORITY TO SUPERVISE MOTHER’S PARENTING TIME AND TELEPHONE AND ELECTRONIC CONTACT WITH THE CHILDREN (THIRD DEPT).
The Third Department determined Family Court should not have delegated to father its authority to supervise mother’s parenting time and telephone and electronic contact:
Family Court improperly delegated its authority over the mother’s supervised parenting time and telephone and electronic contact with the children to the father. “Unless [parenting time] is inimical to the children’s welfare, the court is required to structure a schedule which results in frequent and regular access by the noncustodial parent. In so doing, the court cannot delegate its authority to determine [parenting time] to either a parent or a child” … . Family Court ordered that the mother’s supervised parenting time “shall be arranged as to time, place, circumstances and supervisor as determined by the [f]ather” and that the mother shall have telephone, Facetime and/or other similar contact with the children “as permitted by the [f]ather.”
Although the father has sole custody of the children and, in such capacity, has discretion in the selection of an appropriate supervisor, Family Court failed to provide parameters with respect to the frequency of the supervised parenting time to which the mother is entitled and … failed to consider the logistical concerns in ensuring that she has frequent and regular access to the children … . Matter of Jessica HH. v Sean HH., 2021 NY Slip Op 04165, Third Dept 7-1-21