Child Custody Modification Archives

Can You Win a Custody Battle Without an Attorney?

January 30, 2023

Child Custody, Child Custody Modification

Can you? Meaning: is it possible? Of course it’s possible. Likely? That depends. I had written over 500 words in my first draft of the answer to this question when I realized I could state the answer clearly with fewer…

How Often Does One Parent Get Sole Custody of Their Children in a Custody Case?

December 6, 2022

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Support, Custody, Legal Custody, Modification of Child Custody

custody, Parent Time, sole custody

Good question. A generation or two ago, it was all but unheard of for parents to be awarded joint physical custody of their children. It was literally unthinkable in the minds of most legislatures, judges, and lawyers. Back then, married…

What does temporary custody without prejudice mean?

It means that the child custody order is a temporary, as opposed to a permanent and final, order of the court. Why would a court enter a temporary child custody order? For obvious reasons and necessity. If to parents are…

Can being a noncustodial parent improve the child-parent relationship?

Can being a noncustodial parent improve the child’s relationship with the noncustodial parent? Recently, a reader on Quora, where I comment regularly, commented on a post of mine with this: Anecdotally: When my parents separated I felt I saw my…

Are you going through a child custody dispute in court, or contemplating one?

October 10, 2022

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Children in Divorce, Divorce, Finances, Modification of Child Custody

child custody dispute, custody, divorce, Rule 4-903

Are you going through a child custody dispute in court, or contemplating one? If so, have you heard about a custody evaluation? if not, you’ll want to pay particularly close attention to this post. Like many jurisdictions, Utah has a…

Child refuses to exercise shared custody with the stricter parent

Teenager Child (16) refuses to see me after spending a month with my ex. I have 50% custody. What can I do about it? I’m a stricter parent unlike my ex who lets him play computer games all day and…

Can a parent with full custody deny visitation due to unsanitary conditions?

Can a parent with full custody refuse to allow visitation due to unsanitary living conditions? Good question. I will answer this question in the context of some applicable law for the jurisdiction where I practice divorce and family law (Utah).…

If each parent is fully capable, will the court still give full custody to mom?

If both parents are wonderful, will the court still lean towards full custody to the mother? [Note: I am a divorce lawyer of 25 years. I am not bitter about “what happened to me in my divorce” as I am not divorced.…

Why would a father give a child’s abusive mother full custody?

Why would a father whose attorney had outed his children’s mother as a schizophrenogenic narc monster give her full custody? “Give?” If the father had it within his power to prevent custody of the children from being awarded to a…

I signed a CPS safety plan but the court orders protective supervision.

What happens if I signed a CPS safety plan but the court orders protective supervision? The court’s order supersedes the agreement. Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277 https://www.quora.com/What-happens-if-I-signed-a-CPS-safety-plan-but-the-court-orders-protective-supervision/answer/Eric-Johnson-311

How does someone take custody of a child after winning custody?

When someone wins custody of a child, does the child come to the courthouse to be taken by whoever is awarded custody or do they go to the home of the child to take them? How does this usually go? …

What is the proper way to request a change of the child custody order?

What is the proper language to request a change of the child custody order in family law court? What you want to accomplish is not the kind of thing that you have good odds of accomplishing successfully on your own,…

How would my fiancé go about getting any sort of custody for his child?

That is an extremely broad question. The best way to start: find a good domestic relations lawyer (a good one, not just any) and schedule a consultation with him/her so that your fiancé can explain the situation to the lawyer,…

What will happen if the child refuses to go with the custodial parent?

What will happen if the court ruled in favor of a mother to have the custody of her child but the child refuses to go with her and she prefers to stay with the father? This situation (and this question)…

How will it affect children to switch schools every other school year?

How will it affect children to switch back and forth to schools every other school year due to child custody agreement between parents who live in different states? Probably not well. Think about your own experience as a child. Did…

What is the argument for hearing a child’s view in a custody decision?

What argument supports taking the views of a child into account when making custody determination? The argument is this: the judge cannot determine if such evidence is relevant if the judge never actually has such evidence to consider. In Utah (where I practice divorce…

In a divorce, should children live with their favorite parent?

I can’t speak for all jurisdictions, but I can tell you that in the jurisdiction where I practice divorce and family law (Utah), currently the child’s preference for one parent over the other is not expressly among the factors specified…

Widdison v. Widdison – 2022 UT App 46 – custody modification

April 13, 2022

Divorce Utah

Appeal, Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Children in Divorce, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custody, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Domestic Relations Commissioners, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Child Support, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Motion Practice, Noncustodial parents, Parental Rights, Petition to Modify Decree of Divorce, Physical Custody, Procedure and Evidence, Sole Custody, Special Circumstances, Unwed Parents, Utah Code, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Utah Court Rules, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

best interest, best interests, discretion, Modification, Parent Time, physical custody, Relocation, stability, substantial and material change in circumstances, Utah Code § 30-3-10.1, Utah Code § 30-3-10.4, Utah Code § 30-3-34, Utah Code § 30-3-37, Utah Code §30-3-36

Widdison v. Widdison – 2022 UT App 46 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS NICOLE WIDDISON, Appellant, LEON BRYANT WIDDISON, Appellee. Opinion No. 20200484-CA Filed April 7, 2022 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Robert P. Faust No.…

Our agreement says no child support, can my ex ask for it anyway?

Can my ex ask for child support? I have a 50/50 custody and no child support divorce agreement, but his mother alienated him against me and now he refuses to visit me. The kid is 16 years old. I cannot speak for…

What to do when child won’t comply with the custody award?

What will happen if the court ruled in favor of a mother to have the custody of her child but the child refuses to go with her and she prefers to stay with the father? This situation (and this question)…