We’re seeing a LOT of custody disputes right now. I’ve talked about it a bit before, of course; there are very few things that we deal with that are as serious or as terrifying as a dad taking the children and threatening to not allow them to return. We have several cases like this. It’s...
Can he tell me I can’t take the kids?
It’s a common refrain: my child’s father just doesn’t do things that I believe are critical to protect my children’s safety when they’re in his care. With coronavirus, it’s even worse. We’re all feeling a little extra anxious; the world feels like such an uncertain place. It’s crazy to think that just, like, two months...
Juvenile and Circuit Court Procedure in Virginia Custody Cases You think you might have to file for custody. Maybe something has been brewing for awhile. Maybe recent coronavirus concerns have forced some difficult issues to light. Maybe there’s a looming change in circumstances, like a move, a new job, a school change, or a wedding....
Even though Governor Northam’s order specifically allows you to leave your home in order to exchange a child pursuant to a custody and visitation order, there are a lot of parents who are using fears surrounding coronavirus as an excuse to deliberately withhold a child. I guess that’s always the case. These thing are inherently...
An ER doctor in Florida recently lost custody of her 4 year old daughter on a temporary basis as fears of the coronavirus pandemic escalate around the country. We keep reading about the stories of heroes who keep working despite the dangers of COVID-19, and we’ve realized recently how dependent we are on some of...
Can I refuse overnight visitation because of coronavirus? The pandemic is changing the world. It’s changing everything, and there’s a lot of underlying fear causing people to make decisions that are more or less conducive to supporting a parenting arrangement. I’ve heard of all sorts of things recently. Parents not wanting to send their children...
I keep hearing a lot of “what ifs” lately, and it makes sense. There hasn’t been another pandemic like this in living memory, and these are exceptional times. Every morning these days, I get up and check the news, terrified of what I might see. I keep seeing news articles and hearing rumors that suggest...
If I had a quarter for every time a client asked me about supervised visitation, I’d have an awful lot more quarters than the number of cases where I’ve seen supervised visitation actually get awarded. It’s not like an annulment, which is essentially a unicorn, but it’s not very common, either. In fact, it’s pretty...