“This Affects Every Parent in America”: Rhode Island Father Launches Constitutional War Against Grandparent Visitation Laws After $500,000 Legal Battle.

A Rhode Island father is mounting a constitutional challenge to the state’s grandparent visitation law, arguing it infringes on parental rights and has forced him into a costly, years-long legal fight.

Scott Naso, a 40-year-old narcotics detective from Middletown, says he has spent more than $500,000 defending his decision to block contact between his 4-year-old daughter and her maternal grandparents. As the second anniversary of his wife’s death approaches, Naso is urging public scrutiny of a case he says could have nationwide implications.

“This case doesn’t just affect me,” Naso said in a recent social media post. “It affects parents across this country.”

Earlier this week, Naso’s legal team filed multiple motions, including an emergency petition to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, seeking review of the state’s grandparent visitation statute. His attorney argues the law has never been evaluated under the standards set by Troxel v. Granville, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision affirming that fit parents have a fundamental right to make decisions about their children’s upbringing.

According to attorney Veronica Assalone, at least 12 states have revised or struck down similar laws to require proof that a child would be harmed without grandparent contact. Rhode Island, she argues, has yet to address that constitutional threshold.

“The question is whether the state can force a fit parent into prolonged litigation without any evidence of harm to the child,” Assalone said in court filings.

The case has drawn attention not only for its constitutional stakes but also for serious allegations involving Naso’s late wife’s parents.

Naso claims his in-laws—both former physicians—failed to act on what he describes as clear warning signs during his wife’s cancer relapse. He alleges their actions delayed critical care, contributing to her death in April 2024. The couple has denied those claims.

He has also accused them of inappropriate medical treatment of his daughter, including prescribing dozens of medications before she turned three. In court, Naso alleged behavior consistent with factitious disorder imposed on another, a serious and contested claim.

The grandparents have disputed all allegations and maintain they are seeking continued involvement in their granddaughter’s life out of love and concern.

The trial, which began in October 2025, is set to resume April 20 in Kent County Family Court in Warwick. Naso is calling on the public to attend proceedings, framing the case as a broader test of parental rights.

Legal experts say the outcome could shape how courts balance grandparents’ interests with constitutional protections for parents—particularly if Rhode Island’s highest court agrees to weigh in.

For now, the case remains a deeply personal dispute with potentially far-reaching legal consequences, as one father continues to fight what he describes as both a family and constitutional battle.