Virginia Woman Defies Court Order to Surrender Custody of Child

By Sheryl Rentz on February 17, 2010

A Virginia woman failed on Friday to surrender custody of her 7-year-old daughter that she shares with a former lesbian partner of over 4 years, defying a Vermont court’s order. The New York Times reports that the woman was ordered by a Vermont judge to surrender custody of her daughter to her former partner at 1 P.M. on Jan. 1, 2010 at the home of the woman’s parents in Falls Church, VA. However, the Virginia woman failed to show up at that time. The whereabouts of the woman and the girl are unclear at this time and Vermont police will likely issue a warrant for her arrest.

According to The New York Times, the Virginia woman was first awarded custody of the couple’s daughter and her former partner was granted liberal visitation rights. After she repeatedly denied her former partner those visitation rights, a Vermont judge found her to be in contempt of the court and awarded full custody to the former partner in Nov. 2009.

Same sex custody cases have been rare in Pennsylvania, but they do come up from time to time. Same-sex custody cases are handled the same way as when a non-biological parent seeks shared custody. If it is in the best interest of the child, the parent will end up getting some measure of custody.

Child custody issues are extremely complicated. It takes an experienced Pennsylvania child custody attorney to guide you through the legal process and protect your rights. If you are facing child custody issues, please call Philadelphia child custody lawyer Sheryl R. Rentz at 610-645-0100 for a free consultation and case evaluation. The attorneys at the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz are here to help.

Source:http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jan/02/fairfax-woman-fails-surrender-child-ex-partner/