Karjanis v. Karjanis

In 1996, Gina Karjanis (plaintiff) and Steven Karjanis Sr. (defendant) were married. Prior to marriage, Gina was a full-time nurse, accustomed to a certain standard of living. The couple agreed that she would stop working after they had children. The Karjanises then had two children together. Thereafter, Gina lost virtually all say in the marriage. Steven became controlling and rigid in how he expected the household to be managed. Steven controlled the family’s budget, and Gina was not allowed to purchase a dishwasher or a clothes dryer. In 2003, Gina obtained a restraining order against Steven after he attacked her in front of the children. Gina filed for marital dissolution. During the pendency of the action, Steven violated court orders requiring him to stay away from the family residence, and he told Gina that he was going to make things difficult for her if she did not reconcile with him. Steven also had inconsistent visitation with the children, who were ages five and six. When Steven did visit with the children, he repeatedly told them that Gina was “the devil,” causing one of them to avoid him for a week. Steven cut short one visit with his five-year-old son because the child could not find his shoes fast enough. The child was very upset by this incident. Steven insisted that he wanted a relationship with his children but that it had to be on his terms, including his ability to visit them in the family home. For her part, Gina regained full-time employment outside the home as a nurse, allowing her to hire a caregiver for the children at home. The court considered appropriate orders regarding custody and visitation rights.