Robert Young, Professor of Early Childhood Education
University of North Alabama (UNA), Florence, Alabama
Robert D. Young testified regarding legal custody arrangements to which he has no expertise. He admitted that he had never seen the father, mother or child in this particular case. He had no personal knowledge of the legally fit father or knowledge of the Mother’s repeated attempts to erode the father-child relationship. Despite those facts Robert Young was more than liberal with personal opinion how our daughter should live her life. His comments are contrary to legal opinions issued by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as the Official Policy of the state of Alabama, including Code of Alabama, Section 30-3-150.
The mother's behavior to erode the father-child relationship is exactly what the Tennessee Court of Appeals said about the mother in their written opinion only fifteen months prior to the Mother petitioning the Alabama court to modify custody.
The mother's legal basis for custody modification in Alabama is the same as it was in Tennessee, where she said, "it’s more important for our daughter to attend day care 35 hours per week instead of being in the father’s personal care for even one day."
The Mother’s behavior led the Tennessee trial court to Order 50-50 equal-shared physical custody to protect our daughter's relationship with both parents.
Robert Young perjured himself. He testified he knew nothing about the official policy of the state of Alabama Office of School Readiness. The Office of School Readiness mission statement says, "Parents are the foremost important teachers of young children." Robert Young operates the only model Pre-K classroom in the state funded by Grant from Alabama's Office of School Readiness.
Robert Young works at the University of North Alabama (UNA) where the maternal grandmother, Brenda K. Baker, is assistant to the president.
Reasonably speaking, Robert Young's comments should not carry any weight whatsoever.
But in Alabama it appears judges rather defer to strangers making parental decisions than a legally fit parent.