Thursday, September 19, 2019

Interference With Religious Upbringing?

Michelle Dilisa and Gioacchino Dilisi divorced in 2014 with a matrimonial settlement agreement (MSA) in place. The MSA provided for the children to be raised in the Roman Catholic faith. The MSA also called for shared custody with the Plaintiff, Michelle, as parent of primary residence. At the time of the parties’ divorce, their daughters were ten and eleven years old with both having been baptized and received their first communion with the older daughter preparing for confirmation but the Defendant did bring the girls with him to a non-denominational church at that time as well. In January 2018, the Defendant sought the Plaintiff’s permission to take the girls on vacation but no response was forthcoming and Defendant was left to file a motion in that regard. Plaintiff cross-moved with twenty-one items for which she sought relief, including the preclusion of Defendant from taking the girls to a church other than a Roman Catholic Church, which the judge granted. The Defendant appealed on the grounds that his taking the children to a non-denominational church did not violate the parties’ agreement that the children would be raised in the Catholic faith. The Defendant’s argument was based on the lack of constitutionality of the motion judge’s decision. On appeal, the court determined that the custodial parent has the right to determine the religious upbringing of the children in the absence of a “contractual mandate” to the contrary pursuant to Feldman v. Feldman, 378 N.J. Super. 83, 91 (App. Div. 2005). However, the court also held that there is no preclusion for non-custodial parents taking their children to other religious services during their parenting time and such a bar would be violative of said parent’s rights. Feldman, 378 N.J. Super. at 96. A “judicial decision that compels or prohibits an act is ‘state action’ and such state action by a court cannot transgress constitutional protections.” Brown v. Szakal, 212 N.J. Super 136, 139 (Ch. Div. 1986). Therefore, if the Defendant’s choice to bring the children to a non-denominational church where he chooses to worship does not interfere with the children’s Roman Catholic upbringing, to prevent him from doing so would violate the Defendant’s religious freedom. The N.J. Appellate Division reversed. If you are considering divorce or have been served with divorce papers, call The Darling Law Firm, LLC at 973-584-6200 to insure your rights are protected. For more information about divorce, custody, alimony or other family law matters, visit DarlingFirm.com. This blog is for informational purposes only and not intended to replace the advice of an attorney.

No comments:

Post a Comment