To many parents our office has the opportunity to help, being falsely accused of child abuse- whether physical, sexual, emotional can feel like the worst thing imaginable. A difficult divorce or child custody case can be difficult and emotional enough, but going through the process and being accused of something that you know you did not do can feel, in the moment, like the end of the world. If you are a good parent who does the best for your child, advocating, caring for them and loving them to the best of your abilities, abusing your child is unthinkable. The false allegations that you are being accused of can be enough to make you nauseous. What should your action plan be if you are being falsely accused?
The first step in the process is to work with experienced and knowledgeable family law counsel. Dealing with and addressing false allegations of abuse- successfully disproving them- is not for the faint of heart and certainly is not something an inexperienced family law attorney will be capable of expeditiously and successfully combatting.
The type of unimaginably awful person who would make false allegations of abuse against another parent to get his or her parenting time minimized should end up with punishment by the court if he or she is successfully disproven with their allegations and accusations.
If the court receives evidence that an accusation or allegation of child abuse or neglect is false and the parent making the allegation knew (or should have known) that it was false when the allegation was made, the court has the ability to enter or impose sanctions against the parent making the false allegations.
What happens when a parent makes a false allegation that they know is false?
Often a parent is in for a long litigation process with many complicated facets including expert witnesses, motions, a guardian ad litem, among other steps. This means that a parent sacrifices significantly financially, with their time, their stress and in some circumstances even mental health struggles, such as anxiety, depression or other issues, in making it through the court process.
Make sure that you work with a knowledgeable and experienced family law attorney who is prepared with a plan and a strategy to combat the false allegations. With our firm’s more than twenty years of family law experience, call Pingel Family Law at (816) 208-8130 today if we can help you navigate this type of difficult situation.