Blog: Child Custody

8/20/13

Pool accident leads to child custody hearing for Usher

Anytime a child gets hurt while with one parent, the other parent may naturally raise concerns about the welfare of that child. Despite even the most amicable Usher has primary custody of two children he has with his ex-wife. While he was away and his aunt was supervising the boys, one child went to the bottom of the family pool and became stuck in the drain. The aunt and a housekeeper tried desperately to...

7/23/13

Pennsylvania mother wins lawsuit after winning child custody

Whenever the state feels there is a reason to take a child from a parent or parents, they typically do so in the best interest of the child. However, there may be times when they interfere with a While in the hospital giving birth to her daughter, the mother was subject to a drug test and failed. She had a measurable amount of opiates in her system. Hospital staff did not tell her she...

4/26/13

Child custody issues lead to charges against parents

In a recent case, two parents, grandparents and two small children found themselves in the middle of the news as their custody issues became an international affair. The recent case involved the The parents lost custody and the boys, ages 2 and 4, were placed with the grandparents. The father came to the home where the boys lived, tied up the grandmother and took the children from her home. He and his wife, the...

2/9/13

Pennsylvania child custody: Man fights for son after tragic loss

No matter the reason, Pennsylvania child custody battles can often be delicate and emotionally draining. A father is being forced to fight a devastating battle after losing his girlfriend to suicide. Child welfare authorities stepped in after the woman’s death and took the child, claiming they did so because the man was not the child’s biological father. What resulted is a heart-wrenching The couple never married but tried to conceive a child together. When...

1/23/13

Dual citizenship may complicate Missouri child custody cases

One of the most challenging parts of a Pennsylvania divorce is the child custody process. Although the majority of parents are able to come to a mutually agreeable decision, difficult issues may arise if one of the parents holds dual citizenship in another country. Many have heard of news reports concerning parents fleeing overseas with their children to avoid This may be a good time to enlist the aid of a knowledgeable team who...

12/7/12

Deported father to be regain child custody of 3 sons

An unusual child custody case involving a deported illegal alien has been recently resolved. The case has made headlines in Pennsylvania and across the nation, and exemplifies the difficulties that family court judges face in applying existing The man at the center of the case is a Mexican national who fathered three sons with an American wife. The man entered the country illegally in 2004, and was deported in Oct. 2010. While here, he...

11/19/12

Father’s rights group backs mom in child custody fight

A now-single mother of two children will soon appear in family court in the hopes of finally being able to see her children. She feels that her This child custody dispute seems to be particularly contentious. Over the course of the couple’s marriage, there were multiple allegations of spousal abuse. The mother alleged that the father was violent with her on several occasions and that he had even hit her in the head with...

10/29/12

Case Law Update – Family Law: Superior Court Analyzes the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act

By M.E.V. v. R.D.V. No. 916 WDA 2012 Father filed for divorce in New Jersey, including a count for custody in his divorce complaint. Six weeks later, Mother filed a complaint for custody in Pennsylvania, where Mother had lived with the children for the preceding 6 months. Father filed preliminary objections claiming that he filed first; therefore, New Jersey had jurisdiction over the custody issue. The trial court overruled the preliminary objections and Father...

10/29/12

Case Law Update – Family Law: Superior Court Rules That Parent With Sole Custody Has Right to Make Unilateral Decisions Regarding Child

By M.P. v. M.P. No. 2012 PA Super 215 Trial court denied Mother’s request to travel to Ecuador with daughter for 3 weeks to visit family and friends. A restraining order had been issued against Father and he had not exercised his supervised visits for a year and a half prior to Mother’s request, and the parties had agreed that Mother would have sole legal custody of daughter. Father opposed the visit arguing that...

9/8/12

Tips for Pennsylvania school-related child custody issues

It’s that time of year again, when children head back to school and parents’ lives fill up with school-related duties like shuttling kids back and forth and helping with homework. For Pennsylvania couples going through divorce, the issue of who gets Nevertheless, here are a few tips to make negotiating school-related child custody issues easier. First, try mapping out the school year ahead of time. Parents can pick a neutral location like a cafe...