Question asked on Dec 08th, 2016

Q: My child’s mother refuses to let me establish myself in any shape or form with our daughter. I try calling I get refused, or she will pick up scream about our past,rant about her bills (I also pay child support and have been since establishing my paternity)and then hang up. I have not spoken with my daughter since 2015 and before that one time, it was no better. She never wants to give me an address she will only provide a p.o.box. I am not a violent person, I have a wife and three children currently, I just want to see and speak to our daughter.She has lied about past addresses, I have no clue where my daughter currently resides. She also has a 7 felony warrants currently out for arrest 1 GRAND LARCENY, 2 BURGLARY, 2 POSSESSION OF STOLEN PROPERTY,2 OBTAINING MONEY UNDER FALSE PRETENSES. Which is why I feel like she is running, I have done some investigating on her and she has moved to three different states in a 2 year span.

A: The first question is what order, entered where, established paternity?  Was custody/support/visitation also established?  If that State still has Exclusive Modifiction Jurisdiction, that is where a motion to alter the current situation should be filed.  Otherwise, it could be elsewhere.  The relevant rules are in the article titled “The Basics of Family Law Jurisdiction” (along with the substantive rules regarding custody, and a lot of other information) posted here.  Once you know where you should proceed, you should consult with a family law specialist there to determine what your options are, up to and including seeking custody of the child.

Marshal S. Willick
Latest posts by Marshal S. Willick (see all)