sole custody Archives

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

December 6, 2022

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…

Should I get sole custody of my children if the dad does not want custody?

Should I get sole custody of my children if their dad does not want to be involved with them? Or try to talk it out before I go through with it? Your children deserve a loving, salutary relationship with both…

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,…

What are the chances of a mother getting full custody?

In my experienced opinion: If the fight is over which parent will be awarded sole (full) custody of the children, and if no other factors are considered: the chances of a mother winning full custody of the children are always…

I’m 14 and my mom is making me live with my dad. How do I stop this?

I’m 14 and my mom is making me live with my dad and is giving him custody. What can I do to prevent this from happening? I’m a divorce and family lawyer, and I see this question arise frequently. If…

How do we counteract the adverse effects of trusting custody evaluators?

January 27, 2022

Divorce Utah

Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Custody, Custody Evaluation, Legal Custody, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Uncategorized

child advocate, child custody, custody evaluation, custody evaluator, joint custody, legal advocate, legal custody, sole custody

The question was asked: In a study in 2012 proved many custody evaluators falsely believe most DV victims lied & alienated kids. So How do you prevent that evaluators report from poisoning all reports or evaluators after, since they always review…

The way UT courts conduct custody evaluations nowadays is indefensible

The way courts in Utah conduct custody evaluations nowadays is indefensible. There is nothing in UCJA rule 4-903 (the rule governing custody evaluations) that requires a custody evaluation to consist of little more than educated guesses. Yet the custody evaluation process in…

Do courts penalize working parents?

November 26, 2021

Divorce Utah

Child Custody, Co-parenting, Court Orders, Custody, Divorce Law, Family Law, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Legal Custody, Physical Custody, Sole Custody, Uncategorized

child custody, full custody, joint custody, parental custody, sole custody, working parent

Why do the courts give full custody to a parent who refuses to work but yet reduces custody of the working parent, saying they work too much? In the belief that a parent who does not work outside the home…

If a married couple divorces and neither one wants their child, what happens?

Great question. I have discussed this question with others. Their first reaction to the question is along the lines of “Oh, that’s terrible!,” but then we discuss the fact that there are those rare and exceptional families we’ve either known…

What is being a single parent without joint custody like in your country?

If a loving, able parent (i.e., a fit parent who lives in close enough proximity to the child(ren)’s other parent such that joint legal and physical custody does not work a genuine hardship on the children) would like nothing more…

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…

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

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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,…

Can a mother keeping the children from the father work against in custody litigation?

Can a mother not allowing the father to see his child without reason work against her in litigation for joint custody? Would the father having children from another relationship living in the home as well impact the decision for joint…

How many states favor mothers in child custody proceedings?

How many states favor giving the child to its mother in a custody hearing? You’re asking a good question, but it’s not the question you think you’re asking. The question is not whether a particular “state” favors awarding custody of…

Should all the kids stay with one parent after a divorce? Why or why not?

January 24, 2020

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Child Custody, Custody, Dirty Tricks, Divorce Preparedness, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Men's Divorce Issues, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Women's Divorce Issues

best interest, child custody, families, joint custody, primary custody, sole custody

I am a divorce and family lawyer. I have been for 23 years. It is impossible to come up with a blanket policy for all children of all parents in all families. For example, if a divorce were precipitated by…

2019 UT App 207 – Peeples v. Peeples – modification of child custody

January 7, 2020

Divorce Utah

Abuse, Best Interest of the Child, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Contempt of Court, Coping With Divorce, Custody, Custody Evaluation, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Lawyers, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Expert Witnesses, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, GAL (Guardian ad Litem), Joint Legal Custody, Mediation, Men's Divorce Issues, Modification of Child Custody, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Negotiation, Parenting Plan, Physical Custody, Procedure and Evidence, Protective Orders, Restraining Orders, Sole Custody, Utah Code, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Utah Law, Women's Divorce Issues

2019, 2019 UT App 207, best interest, bifurcate, bifurcated decree, children failed to demonstrate substantial change in the circumstances, clear error, custody evaluator, December 19, denied visitation, distinction between stipulated and adjudicated decrees, domestic relations commissioner, emotional, emotional abuse, failed to meet burden to prove change in circumstances, five out of every fourteen, guardian ad litem, in “high conflict” cases burden of demonstrating a change in circumstances is higher than normal, incorrect legal standard decree was stipulated rather than adjudicated, intellectual, joint legal custody, modify divorce decree, moral development, motion to dismiss, no change in circumstances, no separate standard that courts are to apply in high-conflict cases when considering whether a substantial change of circumstances is present in the context of a petition to modify, Opinion No. 20180713-CA, overnights, PEEPLES v. PEEPLES, ping-pong custody awards, presence or absence of a substantial change in circumstances, primary physical custody, protective order, reasonable degree of stability, res judicata, school year, settlement conference, sole custody, sole physical custody, stable employment, stable home environment, summertime, Utah Code Ann. § 30-3-10.4(2)(b), Utah Court of Appeals, violations of decree could be resolved in contempt proceedings, violence

2019 UT App 207 – THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS ADAM LEGRANDE PEEPLES, Appellee, v. ANNALEISE T. PEEPLES, Appellant. Opinion No. 20180713-CA Filed December 19, 2019 Third District Court, Salt Lake Department The Honorable Andrew H. Stone No. 044901980 Brian…

How can I get the custody of my child? What factors does the court consider?

August 8, 2018

Divorce Utah

Child Custody, Children in Divorce, Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Sole Custody

child custody, children, custody, joint custody, sole custody, Utah, winning

How can I get the custody of my two-year-old son in court? I am an SFG in service, not always at home, but I can give my child to my parents. Courts do not look at child custody as “which…

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