Lake Toback DiDomenico Secures Primary Custody for Retired NFL Professional Alacce O’Brien Schofield in Multi-State Dispute
When complex family law matters cross state lines, experience and a national perspective are paramount. Steve Lake and the Chicago-based team at Lake Toback DiDomenico recently achieved a significant victory in an Arizona Superior Court for their client, a retired NFL professional Alacce O’Brien Schofield.
The Challenge: Protecting Children Across State Lines
The case involved a high-stakes child custody dispute where the mother relocated the family’s children to Maryland and became deeply involved in a fringe religious ministry. The litigation required managing psychological evaluations, jurisdictional complexities, and serious concerns regarding the children’s stability.
Our Strategic Approach
Recognizing the necessity of local expertise paired with elite national strategy, Steve Lake directed the litigation and engaged top-tier co-counsel in Arizona. Our firm successfully navigated:
- Best Interest Advocacy: Demonstrating that our client provided the only consistent and stable living situation for the children.
- Mental Health Accountability: Addressing the opposing party’s refusal to comply with court-ordered psychiatric evaluations.
- Complex Financial Litigation: Successfully defending against claims for spousal maintenance while securing a proper child support order for our client.
The Result: A Comprehensive Victory
The Court issued a final decree granting our client:
- Sole Legal Decision-Making Authority: Empowering our client to make all major decisions regarding education, health care, and religious training.
- Primary Residency: Ensuring the children remain in their stable Arizona environment.
- Restricted Parenting Time: Due to concerns regarding the mother’s “bizarre behaviors” and lack of stability, the court limited her contact to non-overnight visits only two days per month.
- Recovery of Fees: In a powerful endorsement of our positions, the Court ordered the opposing party to pay our client’s reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
Whether in Illinois or appearing nationally, Steve Lake provides the sophisticated, aggressive advocacy required to protect what matters most.