Can someone who is a police officer or knowledgable about court answer this please ?

Question

Question for those who know about CHIPS petitions ?

my ex hub won in court 6 yrs ago because he knew the guardian at litem and got sole custody of our 4 kids and married a woman in the court field who helped him do so.

he is in wis.. i live in ny.. he didnt let me see my kids or talk to them for 6 yrs. Now he is in jail on 22 counts of sexual assault and the step mom has temp custody and cps filed a chips. my kids are all teens and want to stay there and he brainwashed them against me and i cant afford a lawyer and am not financially able to go there for court. i have been trying to arrange each one over the phone but if you don't attend are you arrested or is it found default against you. this is not criminal against me.

i have tried and tried to have a lawyer help me but have no success.

I am unable to attend in person i live in another state.. if they won't allow me to appear over the phone do you get arrested or does the case become defaulted ?

Answer 1

Hon,

   First off there is this thing on the east coast of the US called Legal aide. They can assist you in getting a attorney who is working proBono. That means they are studying to be lawyers and do this kind of things for practice. Secondly , you stated that all of your children are teens. In most states, when someone is older than 12 than they have a choice to decide whom they choose to live with. You never stated if your children are boys are girls , but if there are girls than the court would have to take into consideration  if he'd sexually abused they, or could be at risk to. I can tell you this , as the product of a divorced marriage and a rape victim , if they really want to tell the truth NO ONE will be able to influence their coming forward. I think that the big question here is getting proof that he so called braine washed these kids. What is it that he has against you that kept you from getting custody of them? I can't see the state just giving custody to a step parent unless he has something grand against you. i.e. drug use and subjcting these children to same or worse. Here , as i have mentioned before , I don't think you are telling us the whole story and don't think anyone can make a honest opinion without it. Fess UP!

Answer 2

Sounds absolutely disfunctional all the way around!!!.  Get a psychiatrist... you have issues dating way way back if you weren't allowed joint custody of 1 out of any of your 4 kids.  Why all the drama now?  Xanax...

Answer 3

Sorry if I'm wrong, but your situation sounds a bit too confusing to be true.  If this is a real situation, you must be leaving out some details.  And if you need a lawyer but think you cannot afford one, you should contact the local Bar Association.  They will assist in finding a lawyer you can afford.

And you cannot be arrested for a non-criminal case.  

  

Answer 4

If you don't appear in court, you will lose your case and your ex will retain custody. It's as simple as that. Your alternative is get your life together to such an extent that you can afford a couple lousy hundred dollars to go to florida and petition for custody. Even BETTER, get a job that allows you to make enough money to hire a friggin ATTORNEY.