Over the last several years, more and more people are coming forward with tales of sexual assault, most notably against celebrities. These accusations affect not only the people directly involved but also their families, as many Massachusetts residents may have guessed. If the accused individual has children, then the other parent might become particularly concerned. This parent might feel that it is necessary to create a child custody agreement or alter an existing agreement that limit’s the child or children’s contact with the accused parent, as was the case with Thomas Ravenel and Kathryn Dennis.
Kathryn Dennis is the mother of Southern Charm star Thomas Ravenel’s two children. Ravenel was given custody of the children after Dennis failed a drug test in 2016. She is currently paying $100 per month in child support and is spending 50% of the time with the children. The couple is due in court in early June, and Dennis is reportedly considering using the recent assault accusations against Ravenel to regain custody of her children.
One woman has accused Ravenel of assaulting her mother during a date in late 2015 and then paying her a $200,000 settlement. She has alleged that Ravenel became violent after giving her mother a tour of his home and assaulted her in one of the rooms. The second woman spoke to police for several hours one day in May, during which she accused the actor of serious sexual offenses in early 2015. Later, the actor’s former nanny came forward and claimed to be the woman that spoke to police in May.
These accusations are very serious and may be an especially important concern for parents of children who are closely related to one of the individuals involved. Massachusetts parents who wish to discuss child custody agreements could benefit from speaking with an attorney. A lawyer may also be able to help his or her clients to alter existing custody agreements.