KAYDEN’S LAW: SEVEN NEW ENUMERATED OFFENSES ADDED

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KAYDEN’S LAW: SEVEN NEW ENUMERATED OFFENSES ADDED

There have been significant changes to the custody statutes. When making a determination in custody, the court will consider whether either party (or member of their household) has enumerated offenses under Section 5329 of the custody statutes.  The court will determine to what extent the party (or household member) poses a risk to the child.  As a result of the amendments to the custody statute to focus on the safety of the child, the legislature has added seven new offenses to the list of enumerated offenses:

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CHANGES TO SUPERVISED PHYSICAL CUSTODY IN ABUSE CASES

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CHANGES TO SUPERVISED PHYSICAL CUSTODY IN ABUSE CASES

Pennsylvania legislature has made significant changes to the custody statutes as they pertain to safety of the child.  These changes were based on efforts related to a nation-wide campaig regarding Kayden’s Law. One of the largest changes is regarding supervised physical custody as it pertains to risk of abuse of the child.  

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Kayden's Law: Proposed Senate Bill Addressing Domestic Violence in Custody Matters

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Kayden's Law: Proposed Senate Bill Addressing Domestic Violence in Custody Matters

A new bill has been introduced on the Senate level. SB 868 focuses on the issues of domestic violence and its potential effect on children in child custody situations. Kayden, whose parents never married, lived with her mother and stepfather in Langhorne. She was visiting her father at his Manayunk home as part of a court-approved custody arrangement in August of last year when he fatally beat her with a 35-pound dumbbell, then hanged himself. Jeffrey Mancuso had not been violent with Kayden but had been abusive to others. Bucks County Judge Jeffrey Trauger was aware of Mancuso’s violent or aggressive behavior toward Kayden’s mother, his own mother, and other adults when he granted Mancuso unsupervised weekend visits with his daughter in May 2018.

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