Sappington and Sappington

The case of Sappington and Sappington involved a dispute between a father and mother concerning parenting orders for their child. The matter was heard by Tree J in the Family Court of Australia.

The court was required to determine the living arrangements for the child, the allocation of parental responsibility, and the nature and extent of the time the child would spend with each parent. Additionally, the court considered provisions for the child's communication with the absent parent, restrictions on parental conduct, and the involvement of professionals such as the Independent Children's Lawyer and a family report writer.

Tree J ordered that all previous parenting orders be discharged. The child was to live with the father and the father was to have sole parental responsibility. A moratorium was imposed on the mother's contact with the child until 30 August 2019, after which specific, detailed time arrangements were set out for the mother to spend time with the child, alternating between different school holiday periods and including nominated weekends. The court also made orders regarding changeovers, communication between the child and the absent parent, and imposed restraints on the mother's proximity to the child's school and activities. Further orders addressed the provision of information from the child's school and medical practitioners to each parent, and stipulated respectful communication and behaviour by each parent in the child's presence. The Independent Children's Lawyer was discharged with thanks, and all other extant applications were dismissed.