The following article about New Jersey Divorce is featured on New-Jersey-Lawyers.com The below article has 31 topics and is a continuation of the the last article. We are posting topics 13-18 today We will publish the balance of topics in proceeding days. Or you can read the entire article on New Jersey Lawyers

 Child Custody FAQ’s

By Theodore Sliwinski, Esq.

13. What is the Hague Convention?
On October 25, 1980, an international convention was held at the Hague. Here, numerous resolutions were adopted that concerned the wrongful removal of children from their home country. The resolutions of the Hague Convention was ratified by the United States in 1988. A parent has one year, as per United States law, to apply under the Hague for the wrongful removal of a child. Under the Hague Convention, a parent may also oppose the return of a child. The parent has the burden of establishing, by clear and convincing evidence, that one of the following exceptions apply. 1. The person was not actually exercising custody rights at the time of the removal or retention or had acquiesced to the removal or retention; 2. There is a grave risk that his or her return would expose the child to physical psychological harm and place the child in an intolerable situation; 3. The child objects to being returned.

14. What if a spouse has consent from the other spouse to move to another country, is it still possible for one spouse to compel the other to move back to the United States?
The party who remains in the United States can apply to the court for a modification of the custody agreement. However, before this application can be made, the person must satisfy the four requirements of the Hague Convention. The party who still resides in the United States must prove that: (1) both countries participate in the Hague Convention; (2) that the child was a habitual resident of the United States immediately before the removal; (3) that the child is under the age of 16; and (4) that the removal of the child was wrongful. If the person who still lives in the United States can prove these four requirements, then he can make an application in the foreign country where the child is now residing for custody.

15. When will a New Jersey Court recognize a foreign country’s decision regarding custody?
A New Jersey court will recognize a foreign country’s decision regarding custody, provided that the foreign country had adequate jurisdiction over the case, the New Jersey spouse had adequate notice, and the other country considered the “best interests” of the child.

16. How can a custody arrangement be modified?
Once a custody arrangement is established, then either party can make an application to modify the custody arrangement if there is a “change of circumstances” which has occurred from the time of the original custody decision. The party who applies for a change in the custody arrangement has the burden to prove that there is a sufficient change of circumstances to justify granting the application. It is important to emphasize that a person must have credible evidence to convince a court to change custody. It is insufficient evidence to base a change of custody based a person’s beliefs that he or she could raise the child better. The party who is making the application for a change of custody will have to prove to the court that something significant has happened which the court has not considered when it made the original custody decision. The courts are much more liberal when it considers applications for an increase in visitation time. In most cases, if there is a bitter visitation dispute, the case is referred to custody mediation. The courts are also much more reasonable in considering applications to modify visitation schedules. The courts will do everything they can to try to have the parties cooperate and formulate a reasonable parenting plan.

17. Can a custodial parent move out of the State of New Jersey with the child?
When a custodial parent wants to move out of New Jersey, that parent must either have the consent of the other non-custodial parent, or obtain the court’s permission. If the non-custodial parent does not consent to the relocation, then the court becomes involved. If the non-custodial parent does not consent to the child’s relocation, then the custodial spouse must file an application to the court to relocate. If the custodial parent moves without first obtaining the court’s permission, then he/she could be breaking New Jersey law.

18. What must be proved to obtain court permission to remove a child from the State of New Jersey?
To obtain court approval to remove a child from the state of New Jersey, a person must be able to show (1) a good faith reason for the move; (2) that the move will not adversely affect the non-custodial parent’s visitation, and (3) that it is in the best interest of the children to remain with the custodial parent and move out of the state. Additionally, if moving to a new state would affect the existing custody arrangement, the party seeking to remove the child must also show it is in the child’s best interest to move. In my experience, the courts mostly grant relocation motions. However, the custodial parent must insure that the parent who still lives in New Jersey has adequate visitation rights. Quite often, the courts will require that the moving parent be required to pay for any transportation costs for the child to go back to New Jersey to visit with the other parent. In many cases, there is just no solution to resolving a relocation motion/application. Initially, the court will refer a relocation application to custody mediation. Custody mediation is not binding on the parties. If the parties still can’t agree on a reasonable settlement, then the relocation application will be set down for a plenary hearing. This type of plenary hearing is called a Holder hearing.

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