Father Wins Court Approval to Baptize Child

CHICAGO, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Jeffery M. Leving successfully secured court approval for his client, Victor Sarmiento, to baptize his child in the Catholic faith today, concluding a much-watched debate over whether and how the courts should intervene in the religious upbringing of a child of divorce.

"After two years in court with this divorce, my client has prevailed in his desire to raise his son with exposure to all the Catholic traditions with which he was raised," Leving said. "This is a victory for religious freedom and for the interests of the child in avoiding further deleterious conflict, and we are grateful his mother has come to accept the court order we have negotiated since the debate first became public."  

The signing of the court order effectively ends this aspect of the saga. Mr. Sarmiento, military veteran and dedicated father, now plans to have his three-year-old son baptized.

The case represents the latest example of what some observers consider to be a trend toward court outcomes favoring the religious rights of divorced fathers in interfaith families to share in such decisions – rather than favoring a simple unilateral decision on religious upbringing by one parent with chief custody.

In a move to help settle more such matters with less acrimony and less insalubrious court interference, The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd., has launched an Interfaith Mediation Initiative created to support parents and families engaged in interfaith custody battles. The initiative is a collaboration with attorneys James Hagler, Jenet Pequeno and psychotherapist Dr. Karl Schmitt; they will provide mediation in high-conflict interfaith custody cases.

About The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd.  

Named one of "America's Best Lawyers" by Forbes Radio, Jeffery Leving is the author of two ground-breaking books, Fathers' Rights and Divorce Wars. He co-authored the Illinois Joint Custody Law and has made frequent appearances as an expert legal analyst and commentator on CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX National News, and ABC News. He is also the Chairman of the Illinois Council on Responsible Fatherhood and President Emeritus of the Fatherhood Educational Institute.

SOURCE The Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving, Ltd.

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