Florida residents may be interested in a recent article which discussed the current plight of divorced fathers facing alleged discrimination by the Florida family court system. According to the article, the discrimination stems from the failure of a bill last year that would have overhauled the court system. Opposition to the bill was lobbied intensely by a women’s rights group. Among other things, the bill would have ended the possibility of fathers paying permanent alimony.
One father reported that he was only being allowed to see his children every other weekend and indicated that the court showed little reason for the limitation other than a bias in favor of mothers. He also stated that his required child support is unjust and unreasonable because it is an amount greater than his current income. The father has joined others in the movement that seeks to push the courts to allow equal custody time between divorced parents.
When a child custody order is entered in a divorce case, aspects such as the payment of child support and visitation rights are established. In some cases, custody is shared equally between spouses, but in many cases, one parent is given primary physical custody, and the other parent sets up a visitation schedule. If the parents cannot agree to a custody arrangement, then the court will make the determination based on the best interests of the child.
There are many factors that can affect both custody and child support or alimony payments, including the relationship between the parent and the children and the ability of a particular parent to better meet the child’s needs. It is important for everyone involved in a case to realize that no particular gender is better suited to primary custody, and that gender biases should not influence the legal process.
Source: WJXT, “Divorced dads disagree with state family court system“, Matt Galka, June 13, 2014
