For the next several installments of our practical series for family law attorneys in Piedmont Triad area, we will be reviewing the admission of hearsay statements through the business records exception, Rule 803(6). In this installment, we will consider the case of In re S.W., 625 S.E. 2d 594 (N.C.…
North Carolina Divorce Lawyers Blog
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 6 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn this part of our series we are reviewing a case that is unpublished, but extremely helpful for family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties presenting testimony by professionals from a Children’s Advocacy Center. For those who are not familiar with Children’s Advocacy Centers, these facilities are designed…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 5 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn Part 5 of our series, we look at admitting hearsay statements made to social workers. It is common in cases involving allegations of abuse that a social worker will be involved at some point, whether the social worker conducts the initial interview, or they are brought in after there…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 4 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupThe next case that family law practitioners in Guilford and surrounding counties will find beneficial in the admission of hearsay statements is the case of State v. Hinnant, 523 S.E2d 663, 351 N.C. 277 (2000). According to our fact pattern from Part 1 of our series, the children Aaron and…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 3 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupAs we discussed in Part 2 of our series, family law attorneys practicing in Guilford and surrounding counties have difficulty when trying to admit hearsay statements regarding alleged sexual abuse in custody cases. While there may be several ways to have these hearsay statements admitted, it is crucial the attorney…
What Are We Doing, America?
By Tina Ray, Legal AssistantLet me preface this by saying: I am a white woman who lives in Greensboro, NC. I have not been, nor will I ever be an African American or any other race. But, above all I am an American, a human, a person with feelings, opinions and values. I respect…
Ok, Greensboro, I have some hard news to break . . . “Brangelina” is no more.
By: Diana Westrick, Legal Assistant, Woodruff Family Law GroupIf you have happened upon your browser’s home screen, Facebook, Twitter, or any news outlet, you have already been bombarded with the news that Angelina Jolie has filed for divorce from Brad Pitt. What? How? Why? Say it isn’t so! While you have to love the efforts of gossip sites…
Temporary or Permanent Orders in North Carolina Child Custody Cases – King v. King
In any divorce, custody cases can be extremely complicated. While we want to believe that most parents can amicably work out an agreement that is best for the children, the reality is that there are often long and drawn-out custody battles that can exhaust the entire family. Under North Carolina…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 2 of 12 Parts
By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupIn our fact pattern from Part 1 of our series, the first indication of child sexual abuse was in the statements Aaron and Billy made to Grandmother. Family law attorneys in Guilford County would be wise to try to have these statements admitted under the exception in Rule 803(4) on…
He Said, She Said: Admission of Hearsay Statements Regarding Child Sexual Abuse in Custody Cases: Part 1 of 12 Parts
By Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law GroupWhen attorneys in Guilford County try custody cases in which there have been allegations of child sexual abuse, it is vital that statements made by the child regarding the abuse be admitted into evidence. These statements regarding abuse can be critical in determining the best interests of the child, as…