Location: Oregon. Parents share 50/50 custody (children live with their mother). They have an existing long distance parenting/visitation plan due to a prior move of hers. Mother has moved with their children (18, 14) to Washington where she had already procured a residence and employment prior to filing her “Notice of Intent to Change Residence”. Father had not been notified nor given consent prior to the move, and has not been able to contact either child through their own phones, and mother has not responded to emails requesting the best methods and times to speak with the children.
Father has filed a police report, spoke to a court facilitator, filed an objection to the move, and requested audio recordings from their divorce hearing where mother admitted to moving the kids before without consent (they were married so it was different curcumstances that time). Father has a consultation with an attorney scheduled.
Is there anything more that the father could be doing?
Comments
>Father has filed a police report
Useless.
>spoke to a court facilitator
Probably useless.
>filed an objection to the move
Useful. Hopefully he used his attorney.
>and requested audio recordings from their divorce hearing where mother admitted to moving the kids before without consent
Probably not important. Surely mom’s not going to deny that she moved.
>Father has a consultation with an attorney scheduled.
In general, lawyer first, file petitions and objections second. Just like an auto mechanic, it is much more difficult for your attorney to fix it after you’ve mucked with it than before.
You should also give some thought to what outcome you expect and what harm has been done by this. Family court is generally not a place to get wrapped up in principle.
>They have an existing long distance parenting/visitation plan due to a prior move of hers.
So what, specifically, changes for dad here?