Ann Arbor Criminal Defense Blog

Part V: Understanding parental alienation

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Family Law on Thursday, May 14, 2020.

In our previous post, we pointed out Attorney Ashish S. Joshi wrote in his article on no-contact orders that courts dealing with high-conflict child custody disputes featuring parental alienation are sometimes warned that an order temporarily preventing contact between an alienating parent and a child will result in long-lasting trauma to the child.

In those situations, courts should remember that no studies show harm to the child done by a no-contact order; no studies show that adults who repaired relationships with estranged parents regretted doing so; and research shows that adults who, as children, disowned a parent regretted that decision.

Part IV: Understanding parental alienation

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Family Law on Monday, May 11, 2020.

As regular readers of our Ann Arbor legal blog know, we have in recent posts delved into the complex issue of parental alienation - a phenomenon in some high-conflict custody disputes described by Attorney Ashish S. Joshi as a "mental condition in which a child . . . allies himself or herself strongly with an alienating parent and rejects a relationship with the 'target' parent without legitimate justification."

In our previous post, we noted that in cases of extreme parental alienation, knowledgeable mental health professionals will often recommend a no-contact period of three to six months between the favored parent (the one responsible for the alienation) and the child. That period allows the child a period to recover emotionally and reestablish a relationship with the rejected parent.

Part III: Understanding parental alienation

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Family Law on Monday, April 27, 2020.

Regular readers of our Ann Arbor legal blog know that we have in recent posts delved into the complex issue of parental alienation - a phenomenon described by Attorney Ashish S. Joshi as a "mental condition in which a child - usually one whose parents are engaged in a high-conflict separation or divorce - allies himself or herself strongly with an alienating parent and rejects a relationship with the 'target' parent without legitimate justification."

What is a court to do when it makes a determination that this damaging predicament exists? Joshi writes that "temporary no-contact orders are necessary and warranted in alienation cases" because of "severe behavioral, emotional, and cognitive impairments" suffered by alienated children.

Michigan Supreme Court clarifies impact of virus-related measures on your court orders

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Family Law on Tuesday, March 24, 2020.

The novel coronavirus has upended life across Michigan, the nation and around the globe. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued a statewide stay-at-home order to try to slow the spread of the virus.

The Michigan Supreme Court has also weighed in on coronavirus-related limitations on courtroom operations. The court issued a statement to clarify matters for parents who live apart and "might be confused about changing family situations and their court orders."

Part II: Understanding parental alienation

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Family Law on Friday, March 20, 2020.

Regular readers of our Ann Arbor legal blog will undoubtedly recall that we recently published a post that took a look at Attorney Ashish S. Joshi's "Temporary No-Contact Orders: The Necessary Ingredient for Effective Reunification in Cases Involving Parental Alienation" that was published in the Michigan Family Law Journal. (You can read part one of "Understanding Parental Alienation" here.)

Attorney Joshi points out that there much important work remains after a court has determined that a family law case involves parental alienation. The next step for the court is to decide in the best interests of the child on needed legal and mental health interventions.

Part I: Understanding parental alienation

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Family Law on Friday, March 6, 2020.

There are few in the world of family law as well-regarded and influential as Attorney Ashish S. Joshi on the subjects of complex divorce and parental alienation. Ann Arbor’s Joshi recently authored “Temporary No-Contact Orders: The Necessary Ingredient for Effective Reunification in Cases Involving Parental Alienation,” published in the Michigan Family Law Journal.

He notes that though parental alienation has received media attention in recent years, it’s not a new phenomenon: “The concept of parental alienation has been acknowledged and addressed by English-speaking courts for the last 200 years.”

Suburban Detroit woman accused of ID theft, fraud

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in White Collar Crimes on Monday, February 10, 2020.

On most days, it take a little under an hour to drive northeast of Ann Arbor to Royal Oak. The Detroit suburb was where a Ferndale woman was recently arrested and charged with several fraud-related crimes, a news report stated.

She’s been charged with identity theft, obtaining and possessing personal identifying information, transfer with intent to commit identity theft, stealing and retaining using a financial transaction device and larceny.

Michigan man faces bank robbery charge

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Federal Crimes on Monday, January 27, 2020.

It is just 101 miles northeast of Ann Arbor to get to Port Huron. The lakeside city is a popular summertime tourist destination, but made headlines recently after a 49-year-old man was arrested for bank robbery there. Some of our readers will likely recall that a 42-year-old Port Huron woman was arrested on an unrelated bank robbery charge last month.

In the most recent case, the suspect was taken into custody at a residence after law enforcement officials had received a tip about him, the robbery and his location. Police said they found evidence inside the residence that could link him to the robbery.

Pair of Detroit-area doctors accused of health care fraud

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in White Collar Crimes on Wednesday, January 15, 2020.

No one should doubt the seriousness with which law enforcement officials take allegations of health care fraud. Two Detroit-area doctors have recently pleaded guilty to health care fraud charges and are facing harsh punishments.

A psychologist was recently sentenced to serve 51 months in a federal prison for his involvement in a $3 million scheme that officials said defrauded Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Suspect in 2018 Ann Arbor shooting captured

On behalf of Joshi, attorneys + counselors posted in Violent crimes on Friday, December 27, 2019.

In the center of the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus sits The Diag. And at the center of that open space of crisscrossed sidewalks sits a brass block "M." Legend has it that a student who steps on the "M" before taking a Blue Book test will fail that exam.

While that bit of lore is fiction, it's certainly true that a man who was charged with assault with intent to murder for his alleged role in a 2018 shooting near The Diag was recently arrested. Jacob Labelle was taken into custody in Chicago after a year-long search began when he fled just prior to his conviction on the assault charge.