Opinion ID: 1933198
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The finding of abuse by the father.

Text: The mother married M.C.S. (the father) on December 31, 1987. The parties had two children: a son, M.C.S., Jr., who was born on January 17, 1988, and a daughter, J.A.S., who was born on November 29, 1990. On September 11, 1991, the father filed a Complaint for Legal Separation in which he asked for custody of M.C.S., Jr. and J.A.S. On March 2, 1992, Judge Ricardo Urbma entered a consent order awarding the mother permanent custody of both children. On May 3, 1993, the father filed an action for divorce. At the same time, he moved the court to modify the custody award. In support of his motion, the father alleged that the mother had interfered with his visitation rights, that the mother's health had deteriorated, and that it would be in the best interest of the children to award custody to the father. While the father's motion for modification of custody was pending, the mother alleged that her daughter J.A.S., then two years old, had been sexually abused. Specifically, the mother reported that while she was changing her daughter's diapers, she had noticed that the child's vaginal area was red and swollen. The mother immediately took the child to the hospital. The matter was reported to the police, and on October 25, 1993, the Corporation Counsel filed a neglect petition alleging that the father had sexually abused his daughter. The father denied the allegation of abuse. He contended, inter alia, that the mother had fabricated the charge in retaliation for the father's relationship with another woman, and also in order to thwart the father's request for modification of custody. A fact-finding hearing was held from February 27 through March 20, 1995. On April 7, 1995, in a comprehensive written order, the trial judge found that the father had sexually abused his daughter in the presence of her four-year old brother. The judge found J.A.S. to be a neglected child. She ordered that all visitation between the father and his daughter be suspended and that the father enter a sexual offender treatment program. The judge placed J.A.S. in the custody of the mother under the protective supervision of the court. The father appealed and, on January 19, 2000, this court affirmed the judge's decision in an unpublished Memorandum Opinion and Judgment. In re J.A.S., Nos. 95-FS-1131 & 96-FS-894 (D.C. Jan 19, 2000).