While stories about celebrities and sports stars and their issues probably appear too frequently in the media, the stories sometimes provide a lesson to non-celebrities in similar situations. NBA star Dwyane Wade recently asked a judge to suspend his former wife’s child visitation rights after she allegedly violated the former couple’s child custody order. A violation of a child custody order can potentially result in the loss of custody rights and more depending on the situation.
Last Saturday, police officers showed up at the suburban Chicago home of Wade’s former wife, Siovaughn Funches-Wade, after she allegedly failed to respond to phone calls regarding the end of child-visitation time with her and Wade’s two boys.
Wade’s sister attempted to call Funches-Wade on Saturday in order to arrange a time to pick up the boys Zaire, 10, and Zion, 5. The boys would be traveling to Miami the next day to be with their father for Father’s Day and to watch Dwyane Wade’s third game in the NBA’s Championship Series.
After Wade’s sister received no response, police tried reaching Funches-Wade but were not able. Officers then arrived at Funches-Wade’s house and saw the boys playing in the backyard. Officers confronted Funches-Wade about her failure to communicate and she resisted arrest as the officers retrieved the two boys. At the time of arrest, Funches-Wade claimed her arm was broken and that she was suffering from an asthma attack but was later released from a hospital without injury.
For failing to abide by the child custody order and failing to properly observe her visitation time, Funches-Wade was charged with two misdemeanor counts of attempted child abduction, interfering with child visitation, and resisting arrest.
Funches-Wade’s attorney said the situation was “blown out of proportion”, that Funches-Wade’s phone was off, and that police would not have been involved if Dwyane Wade was not a basketball star.
In response, Dwyane Wade asked a judge on Tuesday to suspend his former wife’s child visitation rights. An experienced family law attorney can help ensure that a child custody order is followed.
Source: Reuters, “Dwyane Wade Asks Court to Suspend Ex-Wife’s Child Visits,” June 19, 2012