Robert and Greg Custody Fund

Many of you who know me know that I have an 8 year old son named Gregorio. Many of you probably also know that over these many years I have been constantly fighting in the Craven County court system for what I feel should be a parent’s right until proven otherwise--physical custody of their child. This has been an uphill battle due to the nature of our local courts and how they view custody cases of children born to parents out of wedlock. All of this has heavily affected myself and many people in my life. Unfortunately, the person who suffers the most from this is a child who has not been given equal and fair access to his biological father. All of this in the end being, none of Gregs fault.

So far with the help of family, friends, and the constant love and support of my wife Caitlin, I have gone from having absolutely no rights to my son, to having a full court order granting me 50/50 legal and a visitation schedule that includes overnights and summer vacations. This order recently expired at the end of the summer of 2021 and needs to be revisited. In an effort to keep this out of court, I went to mediation with Gregorio’s mother and got her to agree to a lot of things in what is known as a parenting agreement. This parenting agreement is now going to our lawyers to add legal language, carry over things from our previous order, and make it enforceable by the courts. Like anything that involves lawyers this will cost money. I am at the very least trying to raise $2,500 for this so we can begin the process of getting this document drafted and sent over to be signed. The kicker is that given past negotiating experience with the mother, I highly doubt she will sign this document. My lawyer suggested adding another $1,000 - $2,500 for additional legal fees if this goes to court instead of her signing. That is why I am asking for you all to help me raise a total of $5,000 to get this custody order written up and presented for signing and to anticipate any future legal fees if this goes to court. You all may have noticed that earlier I mentioned having 50/50 legal custody and I would just like to clarify that this is not the same as 50/50 physical custody. Legal means I share in decision making and get access to records. Doctors, school, religion, etc… Physical would mean we would be splitting physical time with Gregorio in the form of overnights. This money raised will be put forward to help achieve my long time goal of having 50/50 physical custody as well as the legal custody I already have.

In the rare event all the money raised is not spent in court or on legal fees, any and all remaining funds will be put into a general account for Greg when he is older to use as he sees fit with the lifepath he has chosen to take. I word it this way because everyone is used to hearing the words, “college fund” and though I would love for my son to go to college if he chooses, that is not always the way life goes. I once had a general fund of money set aside for me that was intended for college. Instead I was blessed with my son Greg and used the money set aside for me to establish paternity, get my name on the birth certificate, and begin the long uphill court battle to achieve my goal of 50/50 legal/physical custody. I hope you all are able to help me work towards this goal of mine and share in the joy of knowing a child is given fair and equal access to both of their biological parents. I will be sure to update all donors on progress with the custody case and if anyone has any further questions, please reach out.