New York City

Published on: April 11, 2012

New York Courts Decide Family Matter in Light of Domestic Violence Allegations

by Stephen Bilkis

On January 15, 1993 a man and a woman were married in a civil ceremony in Albania. Several years ago, they moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 2005, the parents and their five children went to visit their family in Albania. The wife is a stay at home mother who does not speak English. The husband is a businessman of questionable veracity. He has reported his income in three different places, three different ways. He has obviously grossly under estimated his income each time. When the husband left Albania to return to the US, he left his wife and children with his parents.

Two years later, his wife took the youngest child and went to her parent’s house. Before long, they discovered that because the children are American citizens that they would have to get divorced in Brooklyn. Eventually, the entire family made their way back to the US. The father and the oldest child live in the marital home, an apartment in Brooklyn. The mother and the four youngest children reside in a shelter.

Published on: March 26, 2012

Plaintiff Challenges Domestic Violence Prevention Act in New York Court

by Stephen Bilkis

On April 18, 2007, police responded to a home in Queens, New York. What they found there was a horror. Four bodies were found dead in the home. One was an elderly woman. A second was the companion of the woman. The third was a home health care worker assigned to the woman. The fourth was the twenty year old son of the woman, he had killed himself. Evidence at the scene revealed that he had first killed his mother, then her companion and the home health care worker, and then he had killed himself. The woman was survived by another younger son who had not yet reached the age of consent.

In May of 2008, the surviving son filed a complaint alleging wrongful death in the case of his mother. It also alleged infliction of emotional distress, negligent supervision and gross negligence on behalf of the New York City Police Department. By May 20th the court had denied all of the child’s claims, which were made through his father, on the grounds that the time limit to file such claims had expired. The only remaining claim is that of criminal wrongful death.

Published on: March 25, 2012

Wife Files Domestic Violence Charges Against Spouse in New York Criminal Court

by Stephen Bilkis

In a classic case of domestic violence, the victim, usually the wife of the perpetrator, is afraid of the consequences when she decides to file a case against her husband and her husband is convicted.

A 35-year old man was charged with the crimes of assault and coercion. According to sources, the charge arises out of an incident that occurred at dawn one July day. The sources said that the husband punched his wife in the ribs causing laceration to her spleen and requiring hospitalization in intensive care and medical treatment. The wife added that her husband took her cell phone and tore the telephone line for her cordless phone off the wall to prevent her from calling 911.

Published on: March 22, 2012

Government Agency Files Negligence Case Against Mother in Domestic Violence Case

by Stephen Bilkis

Children often become the direct victims of domestic violence. Oftentimes, being exposed to domestic violence leads to the child being mentally or emotionally impaired. Oftentimes, in a sad twist of fate, an act of reckless violence results to the death of an innocent child.

In this case, a government agency filed a negligence case against a mother of two minors. The two children were Ravern H., aged 18 months, and Kelly S. Ravern, aged six weeks. The government agency found that the children are neglected children and removed them from the mother’s care for a period of 12 months.