Tamara Genesove

The respondent father brought a motion to change a prior custody order, seeking joint custody and increased access for their three children.

The applicant mother sought sole custody and supervised access.

The court found a material change in circumstances, including the respondent's past substance abuse, mental health issues, and current terminal illness, as well as the children's strong resistance to unsupervised access.

The court prioritized the children's best interests, granting the applicant sole custody of the two younger children and ordering ongoing supervised access for the respondent, while dismissing the respondent's motion.

The parties separated after a high-conflict marriage and sought orders regarding custody, parenting schedules, and property equalization.

The father sought joint custody and an equal week-about schedule, while the mother sought sole custody and primary residence.

The court found the parties unable to co-parent effectively and ordered a parallel parenting regime where the mother has final decision-making authority over health and education, and the father over religion.

A parenting schedule was ordered providing significant time with both parents, though not exactly equal.

For property equalization, funds advanced by the father's parents were deemed gifts or discounted to zero due to the unlikelihood of repayment.

The father was granted 45 days to purchase the mother's interest in the matrimonial home.