Opinion ID: 1897741
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The July 12 Hearing

Text: When the hearing reconvened on July 12, Dr. Galbis had not yet complied with the court's discovery order of April 30. Counsel for Dr. Nadal moved to have Dr. Galbis held in contempt. The court took note of Dr. Galbis' repeated refusals to comply with its orders and treated Dr. Nadal's motion as one for sanctions. It ordered that all evidence concerning Dr. Galbis' business expenses based on his 1992-1995 tax returns, including all documents and testimony from Mr. Turok, be stricken from the record and awarded related attorney's fees to Dr. Nadal. Dr. Galbis then took the stand. [9] He testified that his income had decreased since 1991, mainly because of difficulties with Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. He said he had not voluntarily worked fewer hours since 1991, nor had he otherwise attempted to reduce his income. On cross-examination, however, counsel for Dr. Nadal elicited that although Dr. Galbis' income had been relatively consistent from January to May 1995, it had dropped dramatically after the filing of his motion to reduce child support. Dr. Galbis asserted that this decline in income was attributable to the District of Columbia's widely publicized financial problems and its failure to reimburse vendors, such as himself, for services rendered. Because both parties maintained that circumstances had changed since April 30, the court heard additional testimony on the motion to modify visitation. Dr. Galbis testified that, with the consent of Dr. Nadal, Ricardo José had spent several nights in his home without a caretaker. On a couple of those occasions, Jacqueline Maggi, Dr. Galbis' woman friend, was present. According to Dr. Galbis, his son had a good relationship with Ms. Maggi. She had also accompanied Dr. Galbis and his son on an overnight trip to New York. During that trip, Dr. Galbis testified, he had to remind Ricardo José to call his mother so that she would not worry. Dr. Nadal confirmed that she liked Jacqueline Maggi and the way she related to Ricardo José. With respect to the trip to New York, however, Dr. Nadal testified that she was concerned because the car in which they were driving had rusty seat belts in the back seat, and because she also saw a bottle of vodka in the car. (Dr. Galbis told her that it was filled with water.) Dr. Nadal stated that, despite her concerns, she let her son go with his father and Ms. Maggi because she knew he was really looking forward to the trip. Finally, Dr. Nadal testified that, while in New York, Dr. Galbis gave Ricardo José a different type of Ritalin from the type he usually takes  the one that lasts longer.