New York Appellate Digest
  • Home
  • About
  • Just Released
  • Update Service
  • Streamlined Research
  • CLE Courses
  • Contact
  • Menu Menu
You are here: Home1 / Family Law2 / MOTHER’S ABANDONMENT OF HER PARENTAL OBLIGATIONS IS BEST ADDRESSED...
Family Law

MOTHER’S ABANDONMENT OF HER PARENTAL OBLIGATIONS IS BEST ADDRESSED IN FATHER’S PARAMOUR’S ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS IN SURROGATE’S COURT; MOTHER’S MOTION TO DISMISS FATHER’S CUSTODY PETITION IN FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, reversing Family Court, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Lynch, determined that the issue of mother’s abandonment of her parental obligations was best addressed the father’s paramour’s adoption proceedings in Surrogate’s Court. Father’s custody petition in Family Court should have been dismissed:

The operative point now is that the paramour has initiated adoption proceedings in Surrogate’s Court on the basis of the mother’s abandonment of the children for a period of six months (see Domestic Relations Law § 111 [2] [a]). As Family Court observed, “the Surrogate would have to determine identical issues and allegations as to whether the mother abandoned the children.” In doing so, the Surrogate will be governed by the evidentiary criteria for an abandonment outlined in Domestic Relations Law § 111 (6) (a-d). By comparison, these same statutory criteria do not expressly apply to a custody modification proceeding. It bears further emphasis that “[a]bandonment, as it pertains to adoption, relates to such conduct on the part of a parent as evinces a purposeful ridding of parental obligations and the foregoing of parental rights — a withholding of interest, presence, affection, care and support” … .

Given that the focus of this entire matter is on the issue of adoption, we conclude that the appropriate course is for the Surrogate to determine the question of abandonment. To have this question addressed on parallel tracks in both Family Court and Surrogate’s Court would be both unnecessary and prejudicial to the interests of the parties, particularly given that the paramour is not a party to the Family Court proceeding. As such, the mother’s motion to dismiss the petition should have been granted. Matter of Jason TT. v Linsey UU., 2025 NY Slip Op 04067, Third Dept 7-3-25

Practice Point: Consult this opinion for a discussion of the parallel proceedings in Family Court and Surrogate’s Court where mother’s abandonment of her parental obligations is the central issue. Here the court determined the issue was best handled in father’s paramour’s adoption proceedings in Surrogate’s Court, as opposed to father’s modification of custody proceedings in Family Court.

 

July 3, 2025
Tags: Third Department
Share this entry
  • Share on WhatsApp
https://www.newyorkappellatedigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/NYAppelateLogo-White-1.png 0 0 Bruce Freeman https://www.newyorkappellatedigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/NYAppelateLogo-White-1.png Bruce Freeman2025-07-03 08:56:352025-07-06 09:23:30MOTHER’S ABANDONMENT OF HER PARENTAL OBLIGATIONS IS BEST ADDRESSED IN FATHER’S PARAMOUR’S ADOPTION PROCEEDINGS IN SURROGATE’S COURT; MOTHER’S MOTION TO DISMISS FATHER’S CUSTODY PETITION IN FAMILY COURT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GRANTED (THIRD DEPT).
You might also like
THE TIME PERIOD FOR LEARNING THE IDENTITY OF DEFENDANTS DOES NOT BEGIN TO RUN WHEN A PLAINTIFF RETAINS COUNSEL, HERE THE ACTION WAS COMMENCED WHEN COUNSEL WAS RETAINED THREE DAYS BEFORE THE EXPIRATION OF THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS, THE COMPLAINT NAMED DEFENDANTS AS ‘JOHN DOES’ WHO WERE NOT IDENTIFIED UNTIL AFTER THE STATUTE HAD RUN, THE ACTION WAS DEEMED TIME-BARRED (THIRD DEPT).
HUSBAND DID NOT DEMONSTRATE HIS WIFE FRAUDULENTLY INDUCED HIM TO MARRY HER TO OBTAIN UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP; THE MARRIAGE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANNULLED (THIRD DEPT).
Town Planning Board’s Approval of the Installation of Wind Turbines Should Not Have Been Reversed—Board Properly Considered All the Factors Mandated by the Land Use Ordinance and Supreme Court Did Not Have the Authority to Substitute Its Judgment for the Board’s
IN THIS HOSTILE-WORK-ENVIRONMENT ACTION UNDER 42 USC 1983 AND THE NYS HUMAN RIGHTS LAW, SOME OF THE DEFENDANTS, ALL CITY EMPLOYEES, WERE DEEMED PROTECTED FROM SUIT BY QUALIFIED IMMUNITY AS A MATTER OF LAW; WITH RESPECT TO THE EMPLOYEE WHO ALLEGEDLY MADE SEXUALLY INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS TO PLAINTIFF, THERE WERE QUESTIONS OF FACT WHETHER QUALIFIED IMMUNITY WAS APPLICABLE (THIRD DEPT).
THE CASEWORKER WAS PART OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN THIS “COURSE OF SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH A CHILD” PROSECUTION; THE PEOPLE WERE THEREFORE DEEMED TO HAVE HAD CONTROL OVER OR TO HAVE BEEN IN POSSESSION OF THE CASWORKER’S NOTES; THE NOTES INCLUDED BRADY MATERIAL WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN TURNED OVER TO THE DEFENSE BEFORE TRIAL; NEW TRIAL ORDERED (THIRD DEPT).
HERE A MOTION TO RENEW AN APPEAL WAS GRANTED AND THE PRIOR APPELLATE DECISION WAS VACATED BASED ON THE ENACTMENT OF THE FORECLOSURE ABUSE PREVENTION ACT (FAPA); THE THIRD DEPARTMENT HAD HELD THE FORECLOSURE ACTION WAS TIMELY BECAUSE THE BANK HAD DE-ACCELERATED THE DEBT; BUT FAPA RENDEREDTHE DE-ACCELERATION INVALID; SO THE INITIAL SUPREME COURT DECISION GRANTING SUMMARY JUDGMENT TO THE DEFENDANTS WAS REINSTATED (THIRD DEPT).
DESPITE FLORIDA DIVORCE, NEW YORK HAD JURISDICTION OVER THE CUSTODY/VISITATION MATTERS BASED UPON THE PARTIES’ PRESENCE IN NEW YORK.
HEARING OFFICER DID NOT MAKE AN ADEQUATE EFFORT TO FIND WITNESSES, NEW HEARING REQUIRED.

Categories

  • Abuse of Process
  • Account Stated
  • Accountant Malpractice
  • Administrative Law
  • Agency
  • Animal Law
  • Appeals
  • Arbitration
  • Architectural Malpractice
  • Associations
  • Attorneys
  • Banking Law
  • Bankruptcy
  • Battery
  • Chiropractor Malpractice
  • Civil Commitment
  • Civil Conspiracy
  • Civil Forfeiture
  • Civil Procedure
  • Civil Rights Law
  • Condominium Corporations
  • Condominiums
  • Constitutional Law
  • Consumer Law
  • Contempt
  • Contract Law
  • Conversion
  • Cooperatives
  • Copyright
  • Corporation Law
  • Correction Law
  • County Law
  • Court of Claims
  • Criminal Law
  • Debtor-Creditor
  • Defamation
  • Dental Malpractice
  • Disciplinary Hearings (Inmates)
  • Education-School Law
  • Election Law
  • Eminent Domain
  • Employment Law
  • Engineering Malpractice
  • Environmental Law
  • Equitable Recoupment
  • Evidence
  • Fair Credit Reporting Act
  • Fair Housing Act
  • Fair Housing Amendments Act
  • False Arrest
  • False Claims Act
  • False Imprisonment
  • Family Law
  • Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA)
  • Fiduciary Duty
  • Foreclosure
  • Fraud
  • Freedom of Information Law (FOIL)
  • Human Rights Law
  • Immigration Law
  • Immunity
  • Indian Law
  • Insurance Law
  • Intellectual Property
  • Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
  • Involuntary Medical Treatment and Feeding (Inmates)
  • Judges
  • Labor Law
  • Labor Law-Construction Law
  • Land Use
  • Landlord-Tenant
  • Legal Malpractice
  • Lien Law
  • Limited Liability Company Law
  • Longshoreman's and Harbor Worker's Compensation Act
  • Malicious Prosecution
  • Maritime Law
  • Medicaid
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Mental Hygiene Law
  • Military Law
  • Money Had and Received
  • Municipal Law
  • Navigation Law
  • Negligence
  • Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress
  • Negligent Misrepresentation
  • Notarial Misconduct
  • Nuisance
  • Partnership Law
  • Personal Property
  • Pharmacist Malpractice
  • Physician Patient Confidentiality
  • Pistol Permits
  • Prima Facie Tort
  • Private Nuisance
  • Privilege
  • Products Liability
  • Professional Malpractice
  • Public Authorities Law
  • Public Corporations
  • Public Health Law
  • Public Nuisance
  • Real Estate
  • Real Property Actions and Proceedings Law (RPAPL)
  • Real Property Law
  • Real Property Tax Law
  • Religion
  • Replevin
  • Retirement and Social Security Law
  • Securities
  • Sepulcher
  • Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA)
  • Social Services Law
  • Statutes
  • Tax Law
  • Tenant Harassment
  • Tortious Interference with Contract
  • Tortious Interference with Employment
  • Tortious Interference with Prospective Business Relations
  • Tortious Interference With Prospective Economic Advantage
  • Town Law
  • Toxic Torts
  • Trade Secrets
  • Trademarks
  • Trespass
  • Trusts and Estates
  • Uncategorized
  • Unemployment Insurance
  • Unfair Competition
  • Uniform Commercial Code
  • Usury
  • Utilities
  • Vehicle and Traffic Law
  • Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law (VGM)
  • Village Law
  • Water Law
  • Workers' Compensation
  • Zoning

Sign Up for the Mailing List to Be Notified When the Site Is Updated.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright © 2025 New York Appellate Digest, Inc.
Site by CurlyHost | Privacy Policy

AN UNSECURED LADDER THAT SLIPS OUT FROM UNDER THE PLAINTIFF WARRANTS SUMMARY... IN A CRIMINAL CONTEMPT PROCEEDING BASED UPON AN ACT WHICH WAS NOT COMMITTED...
Scroll to top