All matters listed below are fully resolved unless explicitly marked Ongoing. On appellate review, the allegations of misconduct were found unproven, and sole legal and physical custody of the child was awarded to Karl Reeves by final order, affirmed November 2024 (Matter of Karl R. v Julianne M. R., 2024 NY Slip Op 05501 [1st Dept 2024]). Family Court and matrimonial records are confidential by law and are not published here; all linked documents are public records.
| Case Name & Citation | Nature of Proceeding | Key Outcome | Decision Date & Public Link |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Matter of Karl R. v Julianne M. R.,
2024 NY Slip Op 05501 (1st Dept) |
Final appellate custody determination | Final. Sole legal and physical custody affirmed to the father. The court, exercising its “authority to review the record and make its own credibility assessment,” found “a sound and substantial basis in the record for the court’s determination that awarding custody to the father was in the child’s best interests.” Remanded solely to set a specific visitation and access schedule and address visitation costs. |
November 7, 2024 Full Decision → |
|
Family Court, New York County |
Post-remand visitation and access terms | Final. Resolved the visitation and cost issues remanded by the Appellate Division, concluding the primary proceedings. Visitation remains supervised. |
June 9, 2026 |
|
Reeves v Foundation for the Child Victims of the
Family Courts (FCVFC) and Jill Jones-Soderman |
Appeal from denial of defendants’ motion to dismiss defamation claim | Final. Order denying defendants’ motion to dismiss the defamation claim unanimously affirmed, without costs. Claim proceeds under anti-SLAPP standards; fair report privilege held inapplicable. |
February 17, 2026 Appellate Decision → |
|
Reeves v FCVFC and Jill Jones-Soderman |
Defamation action arising from “ethics complaints” posted during custody dispute | Ongoing. Defamation claim proceeding in Supreme Court following the appellate affirmance above. Full docket publicly available. |
Filed 2019 Trial Court Docket (NYSCEF) → |
|
Julianne Michelle Reeves v Karl Reeves |
Attempted removal of Family Court custody case to federal court | Final. Removal rejected; motions for sanctions and a preliminary injunction denied; matter remanded to Family Court. “Under the domestic relations abstention doctrine, federal courts should not exercise jurisdiction over a dispute that is matrimonial in nature… The petitioner’s attempt to invoke bankruptcy removal is unpersuasive.” |
April 14, 2022 Full Decision → |
|
Reeves v Reeves and Douglass,
Adv. Proc. No. 23-01028 (MG) |
Adversary proceeding in Chapter 7 bankruptcy — fraud on the court; judgment against debtor’s counsel | Final. Default judgment for fraud on the court entered against the debtor’s attorney. The court found “the record establishes that Douglass committed fraud on the court,” noting the debtor’s schedules listed “total personal property” of $151,210,044.83 against petition-stated assets of $1–10 million — “Not bad for a Chapter 7 debtor!” Final judgment of $45,691.70 entered April 8, 2024; the court separately sanctioned counsel $1,000 for repeated misconduct during the damages inquest. |
Dec. 12, 2023 Liability Decision → Apr. 8, 2024 Damages Decision (Bankruptcy Court) → Damages Decision (PDF) → |
|
Matter of Joycelyn E. v Julianne R. et al.,
Case No. 2024-00923, Dkt. No. V-10087/23 (1st Dept) |
Appeal from sua sponte dismissal of grandmother’s visitation petition | Final. Grandmother’s petition for visitation with the child dismissed sua sponte, with prejudice, by Family Court (Jan. 8, 2024). Appeal unanimously dismissed as taken from a nonappealable order. |
January 9, 2025 Full Decision → Official PDF (nycourts.gov) → |
|
Karl Reeves, C.E.I.N.Y. Corp. v Associated Newspapers, Ltd. |
Defamation action arising from tabloid coverage (Daily Mail / Mail Media) | Ongoing. Dismissal of the complaint affirmed on fair report privilege grounds; matter remanded for calculation of defendants’ attorneys’ fees under New York’s amended anti-SLAPP law. Further review is being sought in the New York Court of Appeals concerning the application of the amended statute to previously filed actions. |
Aug. 4, 2021 Supreme Court Decision → April 9, 2024 1st Dept Decision → |
Related Commentary
Alan S. Lewis & Madelyn K. White, New York’s Anti-SLAPP Act: An Unnecessary Chill on the First Amendment Right to Petition, New York Law Journal (Jan. 12, 2026) — analysis of the anti-SLAPP framework relevant to the defamation matters above.