Massachusetts residents who watch reality television may be familiar with the drama that surrounds the cast of Southern Charm. While many of the antics that the cast members get involved with are sensational events that drive the show’s popularity, two individuals who have been involved with the production are now caught in a very real drama surrounding their kids. Kathryn Dennis and Thomas Ravenel recently went to court and had their child custody plan changed.
The parties share two young children and have had a contentious relationship for several years. Divided by disagreements, legal challenges, and allegations of substance abuse, Dennis and Ravenel shared custody of their kids on a week-to-week basis until recently. A judge recently ordered the pair to retain temporary joint custody of their kids with Dennis having the kids one week night per week and every other long weekend.
An interesting feature of the revised custody plan surrounds the application of parental legal custody rights. As readers may know, legal custody has to do with the important decisions that will impact how a child is raised, such as the religion they will practice or the medical services that they will receive. While the parents here are ordered to share legal custody of their kids, if they cannot agree on a child-based decision Ravenel gets the final say in how the matter should be resolved.
Many factors go into how a child custody dispute is settled, but in the end courts do their best to protect the best interests of the children whose cases come before them. Individuals who are struggling with their own co-parenting and child custody plans can always seek legal counsel from family law attorneys in their communities.
