During my custody case hearings, the criminal actions of my legal opponent were scarcely referenced, another option from a family court couldn’t require. However, what about the actual criminal acts committed during the court proceedings themselves? Even when these real-time offenses were brought up in one of the hearings, the judge showed disdain, indeed, but made no effort to understand the allegations.
Of course, it is not within the family judge’s functions to adjudicate a criminal case during a family court hearing. The suggestion to suspend the family case for the duration of the criminal proceedings is quite unusual in the context of family court. Therefore, I understand why the judge would hesitate to initiate such an action.
Despite having a highly competent lawyer who excelled in her field of family law, the notion of requesting a hold on the family case was extremely unusual. It was an unprecedented tactic. Therefore, my request did not garner her support.
Under such circumstances, this case could be deemed an exception. The occurrence of criminal acts within a family case, coupled with the request to pause proceedings until the resolution of the criminal case, is rather unusual in family law. However, modern Civil law rarely accepts exceptions, necessitating the case to proceed as if there were no anomalies. The judge simply disregarded the criminal aspect, failed to summon third parties affected by the impending decision, and this behavior was accepted by all parties involved. They strictly followed the formal procedure. Even the police overlooked calls regarding blatant deception, dismissed evidence and my testimony, simply because the system is not structured in that way to examine a criminal case while pausing a family law proceeding.
