It may be no secret to most in Jackson County that child custody proceedings between divorcing or separated parents can become heated. The emotion that both parties to such proceedings feel towards their kids is no doubt strong (and is often equaled in the negative feelings they may feel towards the other parent). If and when one who is a party to a child custody dispute does something rash, it may be easy to dismiss such a person as having little self-discipline and control. Yet the emotions that can go into a child custody dispute (both good and bad) can often prompt otherwise calm, rational people to act in ways that they normally would not.

Such actions can include reckless behaviors that might easily be interpreted as unethical or even unlawful. Such is what an astronaut is being accused of. The woman allegedly accessed her ex-wife’s private financial records. This accusation against her is the latest episode between the former couple as they battle over custody of their young son. What makes their case even more unique is where this alleged offense occurred. A trace of the access of the ex-wife’s accounts showed that the astronaut viewed while serving on the International Space Station. It is being argued that her actions were criminal, which could potentially make her the first person to ever be charged with a crime while in space.

For her part, the astronaut claims that she only viewed the records to ensure that her ex-wife and son had sufficient funds to meet her needs. In such cases, both sides might just as easily jump to conclusions as engage in rash action. The key to responding (or pursuing) accusations of both may be to work with an experienced family law attorney in making a claim.