For children (who may be subject to divorce custody order) removed from another country, there are two (2) bodies of law that may apply to obtain their return. The first is the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspect of Child Abduction. Typically, these are countries with Western-type values and legal systems.
Where two countries have signed and ratified the treaty, this body of law aids parents in obtaining a return order to return the child(ren)1 to their country of habitual residence. This ... Read More
01
Nov2017
06
Sep2016
In today’s mobile world with buses, trains, and planes we are able to reach almost anywhere in the world within a day or so, tens of thousands of children are abducted by family members each year. Most western countries have adopted a Hague treaty to address the return of the children from the parental abductor. This blog briefly covers three key points to bring a Hague case for return of a child abducted by his or her parent to the ... Read More
07
Apr2016
In the 1960s and 1970s, the trend of one parent taking a child to another state or country was recognized and remedies were implemented. There are over 200,000 parental abductions each year. This blog post summarizes the four legal remedies available for inter-state and international custody disputes where one parent simply leaves with the child.
Within the United States, a federal law, the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act of 1980 helps address the issue within the states. Its policies are aimed at deterring abductions, ... Read More
02
Jun2015
Where the is a dispute about a child, from its biological parent to impermissible removal of a child from his or her home to return, there are numerous statutory laws that apply to ensure the child’s best interests are met and/or the proper court hears the matter. This blog is written to summarize those for you to better understand questions you might want to ask your counsel.
The Divorce Act. One of the most commonly applicable bodies of law is found under the Indiana Divorce Act statutes. This statute directs that ... Read More
05
Mar2015
As we become a global economy and airlines link the remotest parts of the world within a day, international child abduction by a parent has become easier, more common, and problem in need of law-making. For this reason, about 25 years ago the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction was proposed, signed by many nations and ultimately ratified (over a long time).1
In the event you are in this situation or concerned about it, the blog is written ... Read More
28
Aug2012
This blog series has focused on the bodies of law, loosely dealing with jurisdiction, that provide remedies for parents having their children taken or kidnapped from their legal custody by the other parent. We have discussed how there are both state and federal remedies to prevent and/or return children who have been taken or abducted within the United States.
However, the matter becomes more complex, difficult, expensive and delayed when a child ... Read More
16
Aug2012
While thankfully not a common occurrence in most domestic disputes and litigation, parents embattled in a custody or divorce dispute have kidnapped their own children and left the state or even country. This is obviously a worst-case scenario for any parent, and there are several laws that cover this devastating matter to prevent the same from occurring.
Due to the complexities of these remedies in law, the following three (3) blog posts will focus on the prevention of child kidnapping through state, federal, and ... Read More