Physical Custody Archives

How Courts Can (and often do) Ensure There’s No Proof Joint Equal Custody Can Work

Here is an example of an important gotcha factor to be on guard against, if you are a good father being forced by the legal system to fight for joint equal custody (I do know that there are also mothers…

How can I get an emergency hearing for custody and child support?

I will answer this question based upon the law of the jurisdiction where I practice family law (Utah). So the question is: How can I get an emergency hearing for custody and child support? The answer: Have a good reason.…

Can you seek a temporary custody award if you have an apartment but you’re not on the lease, but your fiancé is on the lease and also the child does have their own room?

I get this question frequently. The answer: Sure, you can ask (you can always merely ask) the court to award you temporary custody of the child(ren) under such circumstances, but whether the court will grant your request under such circumstances…

What are the laws for joint custody?

August 31, 2021

Divorce Utah

Child Custody, Custody, Divorce Law, Family Law, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Legal Custody, Physical Custody, Utah, Utah Code, Utah Law

custody law, divorce law, family law, joint custody, joint equal custody, Utah code, Utah law

For the jurisdiction where I practice divorce and family law (Utah), the laws the court must consider are found in Utah Code § 30-3-10, 30-3-10.2, and, if the question of joint equal custody is in issue, § 30-3-35.2. The list…

How can you win with the abduction of your own children? I took my children to New Zealand without the permission of the father.

I don’t know the laws of New Zealand, but I can tell you this: morally, you have no right to do that, unless, perhaps, you absconded with the children to prevent their father from killing them or from causing serious…

MacFarland v. MacFarland – 2021 UT App 58

July 16, 2021

Divorce Utah

Amicable Divorce, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Support, Child Support Calculation, Child Support Enforcement, Child Support Modification, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Cohabitation, Contempt of Court, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Custody, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Court, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Equitable Interest, Equity, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Legal System, Marital Home, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Alimony, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Child Support, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Noncustodial parents, Parent Time, Petition to Modify Decree of Divorce, Physical Custody, Preparing for Divorce, Special Circumstances, Spousal Support, Termination of Alimony, Uncontested Divorce, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Utah Court Rules, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

§ 30-3-10.1, § 30-3-5, § 78B-12-108, § 78B-12-201, alimony, child custody, decree of divorce, joint physical custody, Modification, modifying, physical custody, Utah code

021 UT App 58 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS BRUCE RAY MCFARLAND, Appellant and Cross-appellee, v. NICOLE S. MCFARLAND, Appellee and Cross-appellant. Opinion No. 20190541-CA Filed June 4, 2021 Second District Court, Farmington Department The Honorable David J. Williams No.…

Can a divorced parent with the parties’ child primarily lives stop the child from switching to live with the other parent?

July 13, 2021

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Children in Divorce, Custody, Divorce, Divorce Fears, Family Law, Legal Custody, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Physical Custody, Women's Divorce Issues

custody, divorce, parent

So, the question is this: if I am the parent to whom custody of our child was awarded, and that child doesn’t want to live with me anymore, what can I do to stop this child from living with the…

Do you think it’s fair that Brad Pitt got joint custody of his kids?

Normally, I do not like to comment on the intersection of pop culture and family law because quite often, what happens in a celebrity divorce or child custody dispute does not arise or get handled the same way as would…

Nakkina v. Mahanthi – 2021 UT App 63 – joint equal custody, marital property, attorney fees

July 2, 2021

Divorce Utah

Appeal, Assets/Debt/Property, Attorney Fees, Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custody, Divorce, Divorce Attorneys, Divorce Costs, Divorce Court, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Lawyers, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Equity, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Lawyer Fees, Legal System, Marital Estate, Marital Property, Men's Divorce Issues, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Parental Fitness, Parental Rights, Parenting Plan, Personal Property, Physical Custody, Preparing for Divorce, Property Division, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

attorney's fees award, interspousal gifts, joint equal physical custody, joint parent-time, joint physical custody, marital property, Nakkina v. Mahanthi - 2021 UT App 63, Utah Court of Appeals

Nakkina v. Mahanthi – 2021 UT App 63 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS SIREESHA NAKKINA, Appellee, v. PRODEEP KUMAR MAHANTHI, Appellant. Opinion No. 20190750-CA Filed June 17, 2021 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Barry G. Lawrence No.…

Do courts make awards in divorce to “punish” adultery?

Do courts make awards in divorce to “punish” adultery? Great question. Adultery is considered a fault-based ground for divorce and a factor that can be considered when the trial court decides matters of alimony, property division, and child custody. I…

When flawed thinking is tragic thinking (thank goodness)

I frequently encounter comments made in child custody disputes to the effect that “courts favor the nurturing and detailed attentiveness of mothers over fathers.” I am as grateful for such comments as I am disheartened by them. Grateful because they reveal a common and recurring flaw in so many people’s thinking—and identifying the…

Do you agree with Brad Pitt winning joint custody of his children with Angelina Jolie?

I normally don’t comment on popular culture matters dealing with divorce, but for this question I will make an exception. I have no idea what kind of parents Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are. I don’t know what findings the…

How hard did you have to fight to get custody of your child after divorce as a father? What was the biggest problem you faced?

Allow me to start this answer by clearing the air a bit: First, there are many fathers who are clearly unfit fathers but who nonetheless believe the only or the “real” reason they are denied sole or even joint custody…

What exactly does the term “will make best efforts” mean in a child custody case?

June 3, 2021

Divorce Utah

Child Custody, Custody, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Legal Custody, Men's Divorce Issues, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Parental Rights, Physical Custody, Women's Divorce Issues

child, child custody, custody

Great question. Here’s a good summary taken from the world of contract law (frankly, the definition of the term “best efforts” likely applies equally well when the term is utilized in a settlement agreement and/or court order in the divorce…

After a divorce, should my kids be with me or with the mom?

June 1, 2021

Divorce Utah

Abuse, Addiction, Adoption, Best Interest of the Child, Business Interests, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Neglect, Children in Divorce, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custody, Custody Evaluation, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Domestic Violence, Emotional abuse, Equity, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Legal Custody, Legal System, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Motion Practice, Noncustodial parents, Parent Time, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Unwed Parents, Utah Code, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

child custody, fathers, joint custody, joint equal custody, legal custody, mothers, parent, parents

First, you need to understand that you’re asking the wrong question. Child custody is not a zero-sum game; otherwise stated, when parents divorce, or when unmarried parents separate, where you get the idea that the children must be in the…

Does a spouse have the right to see a DUI report?

First, if you are referring to a police report of a DUI citation and/or arrest, in most jurisdictions such records are public record, and thus available not only to your spouse, but to any other member of the public. Second,…

I have custody of my child. He’s refusing to come home. What now?

May 19, 2021

Divorce Utah

Abuse, Addiction, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Neglect, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custodial Interference, Custody, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Court, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Legal Custody, Legal System, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Parental Alienation, Parental Fitness, Parental Rights, Parenting Plan, Petition to Modify Decree of Divorce, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Women's Divorce Issues

child choice, child custody, choice, choose, court, de facto, de jure, enforce, enforcement, Modification, modify, noncompliance, noncompliant, noncomplying, petition, physical custody, powerless, primary custody, primary physical custody, sole custody

I have custody of my child. He left to go to his mom’s last Friday for the weekend. He is refusing to come home because he wants to live there. What happens now? I will answer this question in the…

Child refuses to leave noncustodial parent’s house. What happens now?

May 14, 2021

Divorce Utah

Abuse, Addiction, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Neglect, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custodial Interference, Custody, Dirty Tricks, Divorce, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Legal Custody, Legal System, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Parental Alienation, Parental Fitness, Parental Rights, Parenting Plan, Petition to Modify Decree of Divorce, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Women's Divorce Issues

abusing, abusive, addressed, avoid child support, best interest of the child, change, child custody, child’s desires, children, claim, comply, court, court orders, courts, custodial parent, custody order, de facto, de jure, disobey, divorce law, family law, father, independently verifiable proof, legal, legislature, legitimate concern, limitations, live, Modification, modify, modifying, moral, neglectful, neglecting, noncustodial parent., obligation, parent, Parent Time, persuasion imposing, petition, petitioning, physical custody, powerless, punishments, resolved, restrictions, second-class parent, talk, uphill battle 14 years, victimized, violate, visitation, young

I am the noncustodial parent. Our child came to my house for parent-time and now refuses to leave because he wants to live with me. What happens now? I will answer this question in the context of my experience as…

Father has 50/50 custody. Now ex is trying to take it away. What to do?

May 7, 2021

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Support, Child Support Modification, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Coping With Divorce, Custody, Custody Evaluation, Dirty Tricks, Divorce Costs, Divorce Court, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Lawyers, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Judges, Justice and Equity, Legal Custody, Legal System, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Modification of Child Support, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Noncustodial parents, Parent Time, Parental Alienation, Parental Fitness, Parenting Plan, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Women's Divorce Issues

50/50 custody, against fathers, benefit, biased, case law, child custody awards, child's life, complacent, court, criteria original child custody award, culture of bias, defend, discrimination, effort, equal physical custody award, every other weekend, evidence, ex, Exercise, factors, father, full custody, hope, impartial judge, joint equal custody, losing, loving fathers, lucky, modifying child custody award, motion to dismiss, no option, odds, overwhelming, petition to modify, physical custody award, prejudice, proof, second-class, sexual discrimination, six ways from Sunday, skilled attorneys, sole custody, stacked against fit fathers, statutory, take, vigilant, visitor status, visits

I am a father who has exercised at least 50/50 custody with my ex. Now she’s trying to take me to court for full custody and me getting every other weekend visits. How can I avoid losing 50/50 custody? First,…

Does a spouse have the right to see a DUI report?

Does a spouse have the right to see a DUI report? First, if you are referring to a police report of a DUI citation and/or arrest, in most jurisdictions such records are public record, and thus available not only to…