Washington, D.C. – On August 11, Wilkinson Stekloff associates won a pro bono custody case in D.C. Superior Court, securing primary residential custody and tiebreaker legal custody for our client over her two young children.
Wilkinson Stekloff’s client separated from her husband two years ago after suffering months of domestic abuse. In January 2017, her ex-husband (the Plaintiff) filed a lawsuit in which he sought primary custody of their two children, falsely claiming that she had effectively kidnapped the children when she moved from the District of Columbia to Maryland without giving him notice. Wilkinson Stekloff took on this representation as part of its ongoing partnership with the D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project.
At trial, the Wilkinson Stekloff team developed an evidentiary record proving that it was not in the children’s best interest for the Plaintiff to have primary custody. Wilkinson Stekloff presented five witnesses, including an expert, who established that the Plaintiff’s lack of judgment and history of domestic violence undermined his ability to act as the primary custodial parent. After a three-day trial, the Court agreed and ruled in our Client’s favor.
Wilkinson Stekloff associates Kirsten Nelson, Meg Loftus, and Ash Jamali led the case under the supervision of partner Jeremy Barber. Paralegal Robert Siegel also provided invaluable assistance. The team worked with Rebecca Simpson from the D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project.
###