Court Records
Karl Reeves has had sole custody of his child since December 2019, made final in 2022 and affirmed by the Appellate Division, First Department in November 2024.
Matter of Karl R. v Julianne M. R., 2024 NY Slip Op 05501.
| Case Name & Citation | Nature of Proceeding | Key Outcome | Initiated | Decision Date & Public Link |
|---|
| 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. | Nov. 2024 |
June 2026 |
| Julianne Michelle Reeves v Karl C. Reeves |
Matrimonial dissolution | Final. Judgment of divorce entered, concluding the matrimonial action. | 2017 | October 2025 |
| 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 grandparent visitation petition | Final. Petition for grandparent visitation dismissed sua sponte, with prejudice, by Family Court (Jan. 8, 2024). Appeal unanimously dismissed as taken from a nonappealable order. | 2023 | January 2025 Full Decision → |
| 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 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. | 2017 | November 2024 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.” Final judgment of $45,691.70 entered April 8, 2024; the court separately sanctioned counsel $1,000 for repeated misconduct during the damages inquest. | 2023 | Dec. 12, 2023 Liability Decision → Apr. 8, 2024 Damages Decision → |
| Matter of Reeves v Reeves (cross-petitions for custody) |
Final custody order (prior to appeal) | Final. Custody of the child awarded to Karl Reeves; the mother’s cross-petition dismissed; visitation continued as previously ordered. Affirmed on appeal, November 2024. | 2017 | October 2022 |
| 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.” | 2022 | April 14, 2022 Full Decision → |
| Matter of Julianne Reeves v Karl Reeves Julianne Michelle Reeves v Karl C. Reeves |
Commencement of matrimonial & custody proceedings | Matrimonial and custody proceedings initiated. | 2017 | — |
| 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. | 2024 | 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. Motion for partial summary judgment on liability, including actual malice (Mot. Seq. 12), fully submitted September 2026. | 2019 | Filed 2019 Trial Court Docket (NYSCEF) → |
| Karl Reeves, C.E.I.N.Y. Corp. v (Daily Mail UK) Associated Newspapers, Ltd. |
Defamation action arising from tabloid coverage (Daily Mail / Mail Media) | Ongoing. Dismissal affirmed on fair report privilege grounds; remanded for calculation of defendants’ attorneys’ fees under the amended anti-SLAPP law. Further review sought in the N.Y. Court of Appeals. | 2020 | Aug. 4, 2021 Supreme Court Decision → Aug. 22, 2024 1st Dept Decision → |
Legal Press
American Bankruptcy Institute, Rochelle's Daily Wire (Apr. 22, 2024)
"Lawyer Hit with $47,000 in Sanctions for Filing Fictitious Schedules" →
Coverage of the fraud on the court judgment in Reeves v Reeves and Douglass (Bankr. S.D.N.Y.).
New York Law Journal (Jan. 14, 2026)
"New York's Anti-SLAPP Act: An Unnecessary Chill on the First Amendment Right to Petition" →
Discusses Reeves v Associated Newspapers in analyzing New York's anti-SLAPP standard.