During a Maryland divorce, custody of the children can be one of the most heated topics. A custody case from last year illustrates how seriously Maryland takes these cases and the importance of working with an experienced attorney through the process.
A couple was married in Tennessee in 2001 and had two daughters. They separated in 2006 and the children alternated between which parent they lived with. The mother relocated to Jacksonville the next year. In 2008, the mother found out that one of the daughters had been sexually assaulted while in Florida by someone with whom the mother had a personal relationship.
The children went to live with their grandmother in Tennessee and came back to Florida later that year. Shortly thereafter, the mother’s cousin attacked her at her home and murdered someone nearby. The kids went back to Maryland to live with their father and his fiancé for the 2009-10 school year.
The hearing judge decided that the parties had actually agreed to allow the kids to live with the father indefinitely, though the mother insisted it was just for the year. The father filed for divorce and sought sole custody. The mother fabricated stories trying to take the children away from the father, including trying to obtain an order for emergency custody. Continue reading