Protecting Your Time With Your Child
If you have custody of your child or visitation (parenting time), you have a right to be with your child without interference from the other parent. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for one parent to disrupt or otherwise interfere with the custody or parenting time of the other parent. A parent may do this in an attempt to alienate the parent from the child or assert control over the child. If the other parent is preventing or otherwise interfering with the time you spend with your child, you can defend your rights.
Custodial and parenting time interference can include such acts as:
- Refusing to allow the other parent to see the child
- Purposefully not adhering to the schedule as set forth by the parenting plan
- Preventing the child from contacting the other parent
- Removing the child from the state without the other parent’s or the court’s permission
Because custody and parenting time are incredibly important to the parent-child relationship, interference often goes directly against the best interests of the child. But a parent may violate a custody order or parenting time schedule for good cause. For example, you can violate an order if it is necessary to ensure the safety of your child.
A parent may also violate a custody order and parenting time schedule if the other parent agrees or if something outside of the parent’s control prevents him or her from following it (e.g. emergency scenarios, transportation issues, ect.).
A parent who willfully interferes with custody or parenting time can be found in contempt of court. This is a serious offense. The other parent can take the offending parent to court to have the order enforced, and the offending parent can have his or her rights taken away.
If the other parent has interfered with your time with your child or otherwise violated the custody order and parenting time schedule, you have a few options. You can go to court and ask the judge to modify the parenting plan, ask for make-up time with your child, or ask for limitations and restrictions on the other parent’s parenting time that would prevent interference.
If you have questions about custody interference, Williams Law Group, LLC can assist you. The skilled attorneys at Williams Law Group, LLC will help you navigate the child welfare case process while defending your right to be with your child. Located in Union, New Jersey, Williams Law Group, LLC provides compassionate and dedicated legal services to Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable attorneys handle divorce and family law, child custody, and child abuse/neglect cases. Call our office at (908) 810-1083, email us at info@awilliamslawgroup.com, or contact us through our confidential online form to schedule a consultation and ultimately get you connected with an experienced New Jersey divorce and child custody attorney.