A.D.

FACTS

Mother and Father were in a romantic relationship for more than 10 years and share a son, C.S. (Son), who was born in 2015. On March 24, 2023, Father had an outpatient medical procedure. After the procedure, Father and Mother had an argument, during which Father spit on her. He then told Mother, “I fucking want to hit you right now.” She replied, “Do it.” Mother did not think that Father would hit her because he had never done so before, although he had told her two or three times previously that he wanted to hit her. Father then “backhanded” Mother on the cheek. On March 27, 2023, Mother filed a request for a DVRO, which included photographs of her injuries, a declaration describing incidents of abuse, and a police report which documented a red mark on her face. The trial court issued a temporary restraining order and scheduled a hearing. Mother later filed a parentage petition, a request for order (RFO) regarding visitation and custody, and a supplemental declaration. Both parties filed briefing, evidentiary objections, and discovery motions. The trial court found Father engaged in multiple instances of abusive litigation tactics. For example, Father, a licensed attorney,…