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Mother chooses to move away and loses child custody
Mother chooses to move away and loses child custody

Mother chooses to move away and loses child custody

On Behalf of | Nov 15, 2013 | Child Custody And Parenting Plans, Firm News |

Determining child custody agreements can be an experience wrought with emotions for Florida parents. The need to outline a parenting plan also results in the loss of time with a child. Many orders include parameters around parental relocation and provide limits to that in an effort to keep parents and children close together and maintain a strong parental relationship with children.

Most states do have such guidelines about parental relocation and one recent media article discussed the situation of a recent law school graduate in New York. The woman accepted a job out of state, more than 230 miles from where her former spouse lived and, as a result, lost all custody of her toddler son. Her divorce was finalized in January 2012 and included a custody agreement stating that neither the mother nor the father could move away without the others’ consent or without the consent of the court.

The very next month, the mother accepted her new job. While her petition for custody waited with the court, she took her young son from the father and moved. After a two-month period, the courts removed her custody and awarded sole custody to her former husband. Part of the court’s decision according to the article was that the woman appeared to not have given adequate effort to find local employment.

Stories like these illustrate the complexities that can arise in child custody situations and agreements. Working with a trusted attorney can be helpful to parents navigating such circumstances.

Source: Above The Law, “Recent Law Grad Loses Custody Of Child After Taking Only Job She Was Offered,” Staci Zaretsky, October 25, 2013

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