MEETING OPTIONS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS: The Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen understands your concerns regarding the spread of the Coronavirus, and now offers different meeting options to our clients and those seeking legal representation. All meetings, including initial consultations, can be handled either through the phone, FaceTime, Zoom, or in person.

Modification After Parental Relocation

When parents share custody of their children, many of the decisions they make in their personal lives may affect their children and their custody arrangement. Here, we will look at how New Jersey deals with an international move by one parent, and whether it may or may not alter the joint legal custody of that parent’s children. If you facing such a situation, you should consult with an experienced NJ child custody lawyer.    

Costa v. Costa (2015)

The parties in Costa married in 1994 and had two children. They divorced in 2006. They agreed to joint legal custody of the children, with the Plaintiff (the former wife) having primary residential custody, while the Defendant (the former husband) having visitation. The parties further agreed to consult one another on issues regarding education, health, welfare, and other important matters affecting the children. In 2009, the Defendant moved to Brazil, at which time he stopped physically visiting the children but stayed in contact via phone and Internet communication.

At trial in 2013, the Plaintiff sought sole legal custody of the children, alleging difficulties in obtaining necessary consent forms from Defendant. Specifically, in order to renew the children’s passports she needed Defendant to complete and have notarized a consent form, which was in English. Defendant had difficulty in having the form notarized since it was in English, and access to translators was limited in his small town in Brazil. Noting the difficulty in giving this form, the Defendant expressly agreed to give Plaintiff permanent permission to renew the passports and to travel without any future authorization required by him.

At trial, the court disagreed with the plaintiff, holding that she did not show a change in circumstances that demonstrated a need for a modification of legal custody. The plaintiff appealed. The appeals court agreed with the trial court that the Plaintiff did not show sufficient changed circumstances warranting modification of the joint legal custody award.

Physical vs. Legal Custody - Modification Based on Relocation

The Plaintiff alleged that the Defendant’s relocation outside the country itself was a sufficient change of circumstances. The court disagreed. Changed geographical location is an important factor in joint physical custody of the children, and a move to a different country likely constitutes changed circumstances warranting discussion of modification of child custody. However, such a move does not affect legal custody, because legal custody only involves making joint decisions about the children, which can be done on the phone or through email, regardless of the geographic location of the parents.

The court further noted that the Defendant’s suggestion of providing authorization to renew passports would alleviate the problem with travel that the plaintiff alleged was the cause of the need to change custody.

If you share custody of your children and either you or your co-parent decides to move, your child custody may be affected. It is important to contemplate the possible repercussions of your move well in advance of moving day if at all possible. Please call the Law Offices of Peter Van Aulen for a consultation to discuss your case with a NJ child custody lawyer.

Source

Costa v. Costa, 440 NJ Super. 1 (App. Div. 2015)

Client Reviews
★★★★★
Peter has integrity, and values his relationships with his clients beyond his financial relationship with them. For me to say this about any lawyer is really saying something. He is compassionate, straightforward and knowledgeable. I would easily recommend him to anybody. Lewie W.
★★★★★
Peter Van Aulen handled my case with great diligence and integrity. He is also a compassionate individual who realizes what a difficult time divorce can be emotionally. Peter works hard and doesn't take any shortcuts in preparing for a case… I highly recommend Mr. Van Aulen and his staff. Chuck Solomon
★★★★★
Peter is an exceptionally great attorney. He handled my child custody case and was able to ease any of my concerns with honest answers. He always took the time to explain the pros/cons and was always available to answer any questions that I had… I would highly recommend this attorney to anyone who is looking for one. Jessica Cruz
★★★★★
Peter Van Aulen is a very compassionate, honest and straightforward person. He was there for me at my lowest point with a genuine concern not only for my situation, but for me and my child's well being above all… He is fair and he is strong and when push comes to shove he is there for you. Cathy Dodge
★★★★★
Our cousin used Peter's law office to help with a sticky custody situation. He was extremely responsive, very nice and most importantly did an awesome job with the court! He is awesome. Lawrence Polsky

*Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances