Case Details
The plaintiff mother and defendant father were married in July 1993 in New Rochelle, New York. They had two minor children together, and resided in Trumbull, Connecticut, for at least one year prior to the dissolution of the marriage. The mother endured years of abuse – both verbal and physical – by the father, whose behavior was deemed the cause of the breakdown of the marriage.
The mother filed for dissolution of the marriage in June 2008, and a pendente lite order was issued in August 2008. This order required the father to make monthly payments (unallocated as well as a portion of income from the father’s rental property in Stratford). In addition, assets were subject to automatic orders while the matter was pending.
After the father was served with the dissolution of marriage papers, he transferred the title of his new truck to his brother. The father brought installments of $10,000 in cash with him whenever he visited family in Egypt. In March 2010, he depleted and closed an SEP account and gave the money to his brother, sister, and roommate, citing repayment of “personal debts,” and made significant withdrawals from his 401(k) account.
Particularly disconcerting, after the dissolution proceedings commenced, the father told the mother he would take the children with him to Egypt and that if she was good, she would be allowed to see them. This caused the mother great anxiety that she would not be able to get the children back into her custody.
The Court’s Decision
While the trial court heard the matter of marriage dissolution, both parties sought some form of joint custody, and the mother sought a finding of contempt with respect to the husband’s transfer of assets in violation of the automatic orders. The trial court awarded joint legal custody and found the father in contempt of automatic orders with the disbursement of assets.
In addition, the court stated that neither party could remove the children from the United States without a written agreement signed by both. It found that the mother’s concerns were reasonable, since Egypt is not a signatory of the Hague Convention On Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, making return of the minor children significantly difficult.
Maya Murphy P.C. has proudly been included in the 2024 Edition of Best Law Firms®, ranked among the top firms in the nation. In addition, Managing Partner Joseph C. Maya has been selected to The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for his work in Employment Law and Education Law in Connecticut. Recognition in Best Lawyers® is awarded to firms and attorneys who demonstrate excellence in the industry, and is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor.
Our firm in Westport, Connecticut serves clients with legal assistance all over the state, including the towns of: Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bethel, Branford, Bridgeport, Brookfield, Cheshire, Danbury, Darien, Derby, East Haven, Easton, Fairfield, Greenwich, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Meriden, Middlebury, Milford, Monroe, Naugatuck, New Canaan, New Fairfield, New Haven, Newton, North Branford, North Haven, Norwalk, Orange, Oxford, Prospect, Redding, Ridgefield, Seymour, Shelton, Sherman, Southbury, Stamford, Stratford, Trumbull, Wallingford, Waterbury, West Haven, Weston, Westport, Wilton, and Woodbridge. In addition to assisting clients in Connecticut, our firm handles education law and employment law matters in New York as well.
If you have any questions about employment law or education law in Connecticut, or would like to speak to an attorney about a legal matter, please contact Joseph C. Maya and the other experienced attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. at (203) 221-3100 or JMaya@Mayalaw.com to schedule a free initial consultation today.
