The Colorado Supreme Court recently amended Chief Justice Directive 04-08, which concerns Child and Family Investigators.
Child and Family Investigators (CFI’s) are available to be appointed in family law cases to investigate the parties’ living situations and any potential witnesses to develop a recommendation to the Court to aid in custody or parental responsibility disputes. The new directive has now imposed a presumptive ceiling of $2,000 for the CFI investigation and report. This is a substantial change, as the initial costs of CFI’s have usually ranged between $3,000 to $5,000 or even more depending upon the complexity of the case. Now, there needs to be special permission from a District Court Judge or Magistrate in order to exceed the total $2,000 cap.
CFI investigations usually compose of interviews with both parents, the children, and any other third parties who are familiar with the family, such as school teachers, counselors, or extended family. In the past, CFI’s had additional powers, such as the authority to perform psychological evaluations or alcohol and drug evaluations, if implicated by the facts of a case. However, the recently amended Chief Justice Directive eliminates that authority. There is a parental responsibility evaluation (PRE) which also allows for those additional evaluations.
About Folkestad Fazekas
At Folkestad Fazekas Barrick & Patoile, P.C., we have experienced teams of family law lawyers who can assist you with all facets of legal issues affecting families. Our divorce attorneys are former judges, prosecutors, or public defenders, so they know to present cases persuasively to judges.
Our areas of expertise include Arbitration/Mediation, Child Support, Common Law Marriage, Custody and Visitation, Divorce/Dissolution/Annulment, Paternity, Visitation and more.
