Lindsay and Wells

In the matter of *Lindsay and Wells*, heard by Tree J, the court was required to determine parenting orders concerning a child born in 2003. The dispute involved the mother and father of the child, and the court's decision addressed the allocation of parental responsibility, the child's residence, and the nature of the father's contact with the child.

The central legal issues before the court were the determination of sole parental responsibility for the child, the child's living arrangements, and the extent to which the father should be permitted to spend time with or communicate with the child. The court also considered the role and discharge of the Independent Children's Lawyer.

Tree J ordered that all previous parenting orders be discharged. The mother was granted sole parental responsibility for the child, and the child was ordered to live with the mother. The father was prohibited from spending time with or communicating with the child, with a limited exception: he was permitted to respond if the child initiated any communication. The Independent Children's Lawyer was discharged upon the expiration of the appeal period or the determination of any appeal. All other extant applications were dismissed, and the matter was removed from the active pending cases list.