If Someones parents and that person have joint legal custody and that person has visitation rights as both parties agree. Do the parents have the right to "TELL" them they only can see their child once a week for 30 minutes? Is that legal? It says in their paper work "joint legal custody with the parties- to the grandparents and to this person- primary physical custody to the grandparents and visitation as the parties may agree." Im confused because there is nothing in the paperwork stating that the visitation had a time limit and that it only has to be for one day a week. If the other "party"/ person doesn't agree with that can't that be brought before a judge? I need some legal advice from someone that's familiar with the system for my good friend.
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The key phrase in your question is "as the parties may agree." Apparently the grandparents are unilaterally deciding that 30 minutes once a week is what they want. That seems to lack the "may agree" stamp of approval. That's the bad part. The good part is that the parent can go back to the court and ask for a modification of the custody order to specify something else.
Comment: This "may agree" order seems fraught with problems. Custody is always emotional, and that leads to problems. The court should know that vague phrases make for poor orders. Did the court genuinely believe that grandparents would find the other parent a good thing? There's more going on here than you stated. Grandparents don't get custody unless something else is going on. One parent is incarcerated? Missing?
Your good friend needs to contact the family court that issued that order and request a modification of the order. Frequently, custody orders get down to the hour- "Six PM on Friday until three PM Sunday afternoon." And there are also agreements about holidays, birthdays, vacations, etc. Children are the family court footballs in divorces. Everyone agrees on how to split the bank accounts and who gets which car. But no one every is happy with custody. First step, get to the family court. ... Good luck!!
"Joint legal custody" - basically means you get as much visitation as you want. Actually, it means a lot more then that. That's not just general wording. It's a very specific legal term. It means that raising the child is the responsibility of both parents. Medical, school, all those things are decisions that the parent make together.
"primary physical custody" - is also a specific term.
I know the judge did not intend for 30 min a week. Most visitation is every other weekend, and one week day every week.
First, talk. If you can agree without going to court, it makes life easier.
Second. Go to friend of the court. Every state has a something similar to this. Part of their job is to resolve these things.
You might have to go back to court to get a more specific visitation schedule. You probably don't need a lawyer to do that.