Chapter 8: Temporary Orders
The judge issued temporary emergency orders before the hearing concluded. Primary physical custody remained with me. Judith was prohibited from any contact, direct or indirect, pending further review. Dustin’s parenting time was restricted to supervised settings only, with the explicit condition that his mother not be present or involved in any way. The court took judicial notice of the medical documentation, the photographs of the scalp and the cut near the ear, and Meadow’s observed trauma response. A follow-up hearing was set to consider longer-term arrangements once a brief investigative report could be completed. Francine requested that the pink hat and the child’s continued silence be noted as ongoing indicators of distress; the judge allowed the observation into the record without requiring Meadow to speak.
