Supreme Court

Family Case Summaries 2019

2019 In re Domenic B. (show cause)

The respondent mother appeals from a decree terminating her parental rights to her son. The respondent contends that the trial justice erred in finding that she was unfit; in finding there was a restraining order against her stepfather preventing him from being around her son; and in finding there were exigent circumstances that allowed DCYF to remove her son from her care.

2019-152 Jeffrey Murray v. Christine Jones (show cause)

The plaintiff appeals pro se from the denial of his motion to modify visitation with his two children. The plaintiff contends that the Family Court erred in failing to direct an independent investigation from a child psychologist on whether contact with the plaintiff would be in the children’s best interests. He also contends that the Family Court judge erred in finding the defendant’s statements credible.

2019-249 Lowell Harris v. Priscilla Evans (show cause)

The defendant appeals from a Family Court order granting joint legal custody to the parties of their child and visitation rights to the plaintiff. The defendant argues that the Family Court erred in adopting a Veterans Administration medical center’s report that was never entered into evidence. The defendant also argues that the Family Court erred in granting the plaintiff unsupervised visitation and made several erroneous findings of fact.

2019-238 Sharon Brooks v. Michael J. Brooks (show cause)

The defendant appeals from an order denying his motion to modify visitation with the parties’ minor daughter. The defendant claims that the hearing justice erred in basing her decision solely on his incarceration; in relying on false testimony and hearsay evidence; in finding a comment he made in a letter to his daughter to be inappropriate; in refusing to conduct an in camera interview with his daughter; in failing to consider all factors required in a best-interests-of-the-child analysis; and in denying his natural rights as a parent.