Evidence standard
Daubert & Frye
These are the rules courts use to decide whether an expert's opinion is reliable enough to count. Frye (1923) asks one question: is the method generally accepted by other scientists in the field? Daubert (1993) makes the judge a gatekeeper and asks more: has the method been tested? Peer-reviewed? Does it have a known error rate and standards for using it? Most states follow Daubert. California uses its own version — Kelly/Frye, plus the Sargon rule requiring judges to screen expert opinions.
Why it matters to you
If an evaluator's method can't answer these questions, their conclusions are open to challenge. Most parents never learn they can ask.
Evaluator reports
The Tippins & Wittmann model
In 2005, Timothy Tippins and Jeffrey Wittmann published a framework showing that custody evaluations stack four levels of conclusions. Level 1 is what the evaluator actually observed — what was said, test scores. Level 2 is what they infer about someone's psychology. Level 3 is what they infer about how that affects parenting and the child. Level 4 is the final custody recommendation.
Why it matters to you
The science gets thinner at every level. A strong report shows how each conclusion connects to observed facts. Where it jumps from a short interview straight to a custody recommendation, that gap is what you point out.
Court Ready
Expert report rebuttal
Upload a custody evaluation or expert report and CannonProof reviews it piece by piece: which methods and tests were used, whether they were designed for custody questions, which people and records were left out, and where conclusions go further than the data supports. Each point is matched against your own records.
Why it matters to you
You get a written rebuttal outline and a list of cross-examination questions to take to your attorney or a rebuttal expert — organized, cited, and dated.
Parent behavior
The parental gatekeeping spectrum
Researchers Austin, Fieldstone and Pruett describe how parents open or close the door to the other parent. Facilitative gatekeeping supports the child's relationship with both parents. Restrictive gatekeeping limits it without good reason. Protective gatekeeping limits it because of real safety concerns.
Why it matters to you
Courts look closely at which kind is happening. CannonProof helps you document specific behaviors — missed calls, blocked visits, schedule changes — so the pattern is visible instead of argued.