Ashburn, VA asked in Child Custody for Virginia

Q: My daughter and I have joint custody of my grandson. My daughter passed away. Does the joint custody paper still hold?

or do I need to petition the court for legal custody? His father is also deceased.

Related Topics:
1 Lawyer Answer

A: It depends what you mean by "joint custody paper." If it is a court order, then you would remain as the custodian. If it was a written agreement between you and the mother, you might not have any legal authority over the child. Reach out to a family law attorney to review the paperwork and advise if you need to file a petition in court.

Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.

The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.

Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.