Family Law

After attending several outreach events conducted by JALA’s Veteran’s Service Unit, “Chuck,” a 72-year-old Duval County Veteran, came to JALA for help defending against a garnishment in small claims court. Attorney Declan Duffy of JALA’s Veterans Service Unit determined that Chuck was collection-proof, as the household’s only income was VA disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

“Bobby,” a Clay County veteran, turned to JALA’s Veterans Services Unit for help with several family law issues related to visitation after the mother of his three boys moved to Georgia with the children in violation of the terms of their divorce. Staff attorney Declan Duffy engaged in extensive litigation over several months, petitioning for a modification of child support and motioning for the return of the children. Duffy was able to help Bobby get an extra weekend each month with his sons, as well as a reduction in child support from $1,800 a month to $1,270 a month.

Navy veteran Brianna Rebecca Brown sought to reenlist in the U.S. Navy, but due to a Department of Defense policy for single parents, she was required to have a parenting plan and guardian for minor children while on deployment or mobilization. Specifically, the U.S. Navy Recruiter told Brown she was going to need a Single Parent Waiver to reenter the military. Her daughter’s father was listed on the child’s birth certificate, so the Navy required her to have an official document indicating she had the sole authority to make decisions for daughter, even though the father had not been involved in the child’s life.

In 2010, Troy Bragg, a post-9/11 veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, discovered he was the biological father of a daughter and immediately filed a petition for paternity on his own. His petition was granted, and he and his daughter’s mother reached a mutually agreeable parenting plan and time-share agreement. The judge’s order provided Bragg with majority time-share, which was successful for 10 years. But in August 2019, the girl’s mother began to take from Bragg’s time with their daughter and tried to alienate her from Bragg.

“Julia,” 26, a U.S. Army veteran and mother of three, became pregnant and moved to Jacksonville to begin a new life with children, her partner and their soon-to-be-born child. But with the stress of the pandemic, cracks appeared in their relationship. After being with her for their baby’s birth, the father told Julia that he was going to take the baby to see his parents, who were visiting from out of town. Julia agreed. But it turned out that the baby’s father was in fact headed out of state with the baby. When she begged him to return, he refused.