Tag Archive for: child custody enforcement

Abducted girl found in Germany, returned to her father

In December, we wrote about the serious problem of international child abduction by parents. The most common scenario for international child abduction involves a marriage and divorce between citizens of different countries. All too often, one of the parents will attempt to ignore a valid child custody order and take the child to another country. Many left-behind parents have little recourse when this happens. However, a recent story demonstrates how some children are successfully returned to their parents.

A 5-year-old girl who was missing since June of 2010 was recently found in Germany following an investigation conducted by international and local authorities. Bijan Richard, the father of the girl, had all but given up hope of seeing his daughter once again.

Richard returned from Germany to the U.S. recently after failing to find his daughter when an informant gave him specifics regarding the abducted girl’s location.

Richard and his former wife had been in a heated child custody battle. The 43-year-old woman allegedly abducted the girl during a June visit and brought her to Germany. The woman is currently in German custody awaiting extradition. She will likely face criminal charges in the U.S., including a felony charge for violating a child custody order.

The 5-year-old girl was ultimately located by agents from Interpol, an international police force.

According to Richard, the informant met his ex-wife, along with his daughter, in Germany. The informant was suspicious that something was wrong when the daughter and mother gave conflicting stories regarding Richard, and, following some investigation of his own, determined that the girl had been abducted and he contacted Richard.

In the meantime, the girl was separated from her mother and placed in the care of a foster family as she waited for Richard’s arrival. After nearly one year apart, the two reunited and returned to the United States. Richard said that his daughter’s hair is shorter, but her vocabulary is larger.

Source: KWGN.com, “Abducted Littleton girl, 5, found in Europe, mother faces charges,” Tammy Vigil, 4/12/2011

Wisconsin man charged with interfering with child custody

When a divorcing couple in Wisconsin has children, the divorce decree will typically include a child custody order. These child custody orders have the full effect and force of the law and parents who try to change the terms of child custody on their own can face serious legal consequences.

Like court orders for child support, child custody orders cannot be changed without involving the court system. A family law judge has the final say on any changes to child custody orders. Recently, a Wisconsin man landed in hot water when he did not strictly abide by the terms of a child custody order.

The man had been in a prolonged child custody dispute with his ex-wife, and the couple had a planned custody exchange scheduled at 5:00 in the evening on June 19. However, he did not show up for the exchange and his ex-wife called the police.

The police began a search for the man and the couple’s two children and located them at around 1 a.m. on June 21. The children were returned to their mother and the man was arrested. He initially faced felony charges of interference with child custody.

A judge later reduced the charges against the man to disorderly conduct after hearing testimony from those involved and hearing from the man’s attorney. According to the man’s attorney, he withheld custody because he feared for the safety of his children and did not want to return them to his ex-wife until he could get an emergency placement hearing.

As this story demonstrates, courts are heavily involved in child custody matters and it can be easy for a parent to get into legal trouble if he or she acts rashly. When there is a dispute involving child custody, it is important for parents to work with an attorney and with the court system instead of taking matters into their own hands.

Source: Barron News-Shield, “Charges reduced on Scott Mancl,” Mary Glynn, 7/9/2011

Parents sometimes use children as pawns in disagreements

Many of the decisions and protocol parents need to follow regarding their children are addressed in the divorce decree and child custody/support orders. But there are certainly some events that no one can prepare for. Anger, bitterness, pride and different belief systems often get in the way of sound decisions when divorced parents have arguments about what is best for their children.

Such is the case of a 4-year-old girl that made national news recently when her father did not allow her to accept a trip to Disney World from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. She recently completed her chemotherapy treatments for leukemia that she’s been fighting for the last two years. The Foundation granted her wish to take her Mom, sister and grandparents with her to the Magic Kingdom. But, she needed signed permission from both her parents, and her father refused.

The girl’s mother feels that her father was retaliating because he was only recently granted visitation rights to see his daughter earlier this year. She felt he was using this occurrence as a way to get back at the mother.

He argued that only children who were terminally ill and only had six months left to live should be awarded grants for the foundation. His daughter was declared cancer free. He was also embittered because neither he nor the girl’s other siblings were invited to participate in the trip.

The Foundation argued that it does not focus on terminally-ill children, but provides hope and strength to youngsters undergoing difficult medical procedures.

In the end, the little girl’s maternal family raised enough money for the trip by placing jars at local Haskins businesses and with donations that poured in from around the country through an online account.

Our firm can help you resolved conflicts like the one discussed in this article. Learn more by visiting our Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Family Law web page.

Source: Toledoblade.com, “Help goes national as cancer survivor, 4, will get her wish,” Mel Flanagan, July 20, 2012