Schechter v. Schechter
Massachusetts Appeals Court
37 N.E.3d 632 (2015)
Yan (defendant) was emotionally abusive and controlling toward his wife Karina (plaintiff) throughout their marriage, including having her car towed and destroying her belongings, and after Karina filed for divorce, Yan threatened to come at her with an axe when she refused a sleepover request involving their child. A guardian ad litem reported that Yan dominated both Karina and the child and disparaged Karina in front of the child, and after documenting repeated threats to kill or seriously harm Karina, the judge made a permanent abuse-prevention order, granted Karina sole custody, and barred Yan from contact with the child for one year; Yan appealed.
Whether a pattern or serious incident of domestic abuse warrants granting sole custody of a child to the abused parent and suspending the abusive parent's visitation.