Coronavirus Impact: South Florida Doctor Regains Shared Custody Of Daughter

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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - A South Florida doctor who lost custody of her daughter because she works with coronavirus patients is getting her back.

Miami's Third District Court of Appeals issued a stay of a judge's order which ruled that Dr. Theresa Greene's ex-husband would get custody of their daughter.

Last week, Circuit Court Judge Bernard Shapiro ruled the four-year-old child should stay with her father, Eric Greene, because of her mother's exposure to the coronavirus.

"If I was married, and I'd be, given the opportunity to go home to my child," Dr. Greene said. "No one could tell me that I shouldn't do that."

A statement from Eric Greene's attorney said, "'Mr. Greene and I have the utmost respect for Dr. Greene's commitment to her critical work during the pandemic."

Dr. Greene works in emergency medicine at Westside Regional Medical Center in Plantation. She said her hospital has adequate PPE and she takes extra precautions to protect her daughter from any risk.

"I come home, I strip down in the carport. I take a shower," Dr. Greene said. "And the fact of the matter is that my daughter is not usually here when I'm working."

The appeals court ruling means that Dr. Greene and her ex-husband will continue sharing custody of their daughter while they await a final ruling on custody.

Coronavirus