Attorney Rebekah Elese Morrison's Legal Cases

Domestic violence

50B Allegation Filed After Toxic Breakup Dismissed

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OUTCOME: Dismissed by the court, without prejudice

A client approached our firm because he was concerned about a 50B, also known as a Domestic Violence Protective Order, that had been taken out against him. In the 50B, our client’s ex alleged vague and ... nonspecific allegations following their toxic breakup. While a 50B is a civil procedure, these cases can quickly become criminal cases if the accused violates the 50B. A violation can result in possible job loss, jail time, and a permanent black mark on one’s record. Given the hostility under which the ex-partner took out the 50B, our client was understandably very anxious about this allegation hanging over his head. Thankfully, the client reached out to our firm, and attorney Rebekah Morrison quickly prepared him for the return hearing. As with most cases, however, our team tries to work things out with the opposing party and opposing counsel to avoid our clients an extended court case. Unfortunately, the opposing party and their father were very aggressive towards Rebekah and were unwilling to negotiate a consent order. Rebekah had no choice but to file a motion and answer with the court. In her pages-long motion, Rebekah clearly laid out her argument using her detailed knowledge of family law. When it came time to present her motion to the court, the judge instructed everyone to sit while he read through the motion in its entirety. That was a good sign. In the end, the judge granted Rebekah’s motion to dismiss. Our client walked out of that courtroom free from fear and apprehension. He was finally allowed to move forward with his life. When asked what advice she’d give to others in a similar situation, attorney Rebekah Morrison said, “Hire an attorney ASAP. If someone didn’t ask the court to follow the law and direct the court’s attention to the controlling statutes, both parties would have attempted to tell the court nonrelevant, damaging, inflammatory facts that would likely had resulted in a bad result for all.”

Child custody

Third-Party Granted Emergency Custody in Forsyth County

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OUTCOME: The client was given exclusive legal and physical custody of both children. The opposing party was not given any visitation at this time.

A client rushed to retain our firm for help getting two children back in her custody immediately. Our family law team, which handles emergency custody cases regularly, quickly met with the client and p ... roceeded to file an emergency ex parte custody motion with the court. But, not before overcoming a few legal challenges along the way. The client had been granted Intervenor status. She had cared for the children full time in her home as their primary caregiver for the past two years. The opposing party, in this case, was the biological mother that had an existing visitation schedule with the children. During the last visitation, the mother took the children from the premises of supervised visitation and fled with them. The visitation supervisor, a relative, refused to tell our client where the mother and children were staying. Law Enforcement got involved but would not let our client know their whereabouts or return them to her custody. It was becoming an increasingly stressful situation for our client. That’s when Rebekah stepped in. After our client’s unsuccessful attempts to locate and regain custody of the children, our team filed an emergency ex parte motion for custody. With the emergency custody order granted along with a warrant for a law enforcement officer to find and pick up the children, our client could finally breathe again. The children were found after four days with minor injuries that required immediate medical treatment. Next, we helped our client prepare for the ten-day return hearing. Our client was nervous about testifying in court. So, attorney Rebekah Morrison worked with her so that she knew what to expect. At the hearing, Rebekah had the challenge of cross-examining the mother. The mother claimed she had no knowledge about the proceedings and adamantly denied absconding with the children. Despite the mother’s testimony, the judge ordered that there was an emergency and commented that it was lucky the children were found when they were. The judge then took the time to clearly explain to our client in court what her rights were (sole legal and physical custody). In addition, the judge removed any right to visitation for the mother. The situation our client faced was not easy. One of the biggest challenges was actually finding the children. The client was not given any addresses of where the mother could be. However, contacting some of the mother’s collateral contacts and obtaining a redacted police report from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office eventually uncovered a few leads. It was also very advantageous that our client retained our services promptly after the children were taken. If she had not acted quickly, she could have lost her status as an Intervenor in the custody action. She could have been ordered to resume custody visitation with the mother even though it was clearly a dangerous environment. Not to mention, the mother already showed that she was a flight risk. Fortunately, the Forsyth County court system sided with our client in this emergency custody case. Our client will be able to retain full custody of the children and continue parenting them as she had been doing. She won’t have to live with the fear that they will be removed from her care and put in harm’s way again.

Rebekah Elese Morrison's Legal Cases (2)

50B Allegation Filed After Toxic Breakup Dismissed

Third-Party Granted Emergency Custody in Forsyth County