Ruling in international child custody case makes headlines

The family court system works diligently to make decisions based on the best interests of the children involved; however, the rights of parents to visit or have access to children must also be respected. When Pennsylvania families need to seek family court assistance for an international child custody situation, a temporary order may be handed down to further explore the situation. A television star, Kelly Rutherford of Gossip Girl fame, has made news for her win in her international child custody fight.

The actress mom and her ex-husband married in 2006, and they then separated in 2008. A divorce was finalized in 2010. During that time, the couple had two children. Rutherford’s ex-husband took the children overseas, where they have been living without Rutherford.

Rutherford flew to France for visitation with the children and contends she was denied access to her two kids. Her alleged refusal to hand over the children’s passports was cited as the reason. She stated she was willing to give the passports to a neutral party but not to the person her ex-husband had designated. 

Rutherford has just recently won a small victory in the fight to have the children returned to her here in the United States. A judge granted a temporary sole custody order, and the mom hopes for a peaceful transfer. As the order is temporary, another hearing is scheduled to delve into the matter. Whether or not an order for child custody in Pennsylvania is temporary or not, any parent seeking a custody agreement would benefit from relying on trusted and experienced legal representation, especially if there is the chance the issue or case can be on-going or reach international borders.

Source: cnn.com, “Kelly Rutherford granted sole custody of two children“, Emanuella Grinberg and Dana Ford, May 25, 2015