spc - The Shared Parenting Council of Connecticut

The Rubenstein Case
A Father Gets Custody, The Mother Becomes a Fugitive

Facts of the Case (Time Line)
June 21, 1992 -- Jeffrey and Bonnie Rubenstein married.
1994 -- Randy Rubenstein born.
March, 1996 -- Jeffrey Rubenstein files for divorce.
1997 -- Divorce finalized.September
1997 -- Bonnie flees with Randy the day after a New London Superior Court judge awarded full custody of the boy to his father.
Dec. 21, 1997 -- The FBI has a warrant for Bonnie's arrest on charges of custodial interference and unlawful flight.
July 25, 2002 – Bonnie is taken into custody in Florida.
July 26, 2002 – Randy is returned to Connecticut.Source:

The Hartford Courant, 7/26/02 & 7/27/02.

Questions asked by:

The Shared Parenting Council of Connecticut

1 What role did the legal system play in sending Bonnie Rubenstein underground? Is it really necessary to award the children to one parent or another, like chattel, making the losing parent desperate and angry? Could our public resources be better directed towards binding arbitration and counseling designed to keep both parents actively involved?

2 Accusations of child abuse were made in this case, later thrown out in the court. Why is there no penalty associated with false accusations? Surely false accusations are a horrible violation of the children’s rights to two loving parents.

3 Why does one have to spend a fortune (over $300,000 in this case) to assert the right for a parent-child relationship? This is not practical for most of us.

Go to Full Text of Hartford Courant Article for more information.

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