Perry v. Olson

Perry v. Olson is an unpublished May, 2023 opinion from the Court of Appeals.  On appeal, I represented the mother, Ms. Olson, who, at trial, had lost custody of her son. At the beginning of the appeal process, I had that custody order superseded, so she kept custody during the three years the appeal took to resolve.

The Court of Appeals originally scheduled oral argument. When it later cancelled oral argument, I expected a reversal or a remand for a new trial. Instead it affirmed, disposing with my substantial argument on custody with a mere “The family court did not err in granting Father custody of Child without prohibiting contact between Child and Father’s brother.” When the Supreme Court refused to grant certiorari, the child was returned to father.

Olson remains one of the biggest disappointments of my career.