Child Custody

COURT REVERSES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INJUNCTION AGAINST FATHER FOR DISCIPLINING DAUGHTER

COURT REVERSES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INJUNCTION AGAINST FATHER FOR DISCIPLINING DAUGHTER

In a sharply reasoned opinion issued April 9, 2025, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal reversed a domestic violence injunction that had been entered against a father for physically disciplining his 14-year-old daughter. The ruling in Bechert v. Bechert, No. 4D2024-0951, reaffirms that reasonable and non-excessive parental discipline does not constitute domestic violence under Florida law.