On Monday, a counselor is set to try and work out what two parents, two other therapists, a host of lawyers and even a judge has failed to do: Get two young girls to visit their father in Charlotte, N.C., as ordered in their parents’ 1993 divorce agreement.
The visitation dispute gained national attention in July when the 12- and 8-year-old Lisle girls were locked up for contempt of court by Will County Judge Ludwig Kuhar. The order has been stayed by a higher court while it reviews Kuhar’s decision, which has been widely criticized as extreme.
Lisa Pinto, a Naperville psychologist, was appointed last week by Kuhar and ordered to meet with the parties involved and “address a visitation schedule.”
The children have repeatedly refused to visit their father, Sheldon Nussbaum, saying he mentally abused them. Nussbaum has denied the charges and recently countered in a court brief that the girls’ mother was manipulating them.
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Earlier this month, Nussbaum’s attorney asked that two male psychologists specializing in “parental alienation” be assigned as counselors.
The girls’ mother, Kathy Marshall of Lisle, argued that the original court-appointed counselor, Patricia Miller, should continue the therapy.
A hearing to discuss any progress from the counseling is set for Nov. 21.