Q: Can my sons father be granted joint custody even though I've been son's sole provider since birth?
There is no custody agreement but my sons father is on Child support (but doesn't pay the full amount). I have been the only one taking care of my son since birth (2011) and he's been in my custody. In 2013, I moved to Maryland from Florida and had to put my sons father on child support. I don't deny visitation but I just don't my son going to Florida because of certain living conditions. Can his father be granted joint custody even though I have been the sole provider and doing everything on my own? We have never been married.
A: Florida does not have jurisdiction to decide custody or child support if your son resides with you here. You should go down to the circuit court and file for custody, you also need to consult a lawyer about challenging jurisdiction in Florida. The Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act has been adopted in every state, and should be applied the same way in both Florida and Maryland, so that the Maryland court will control the case. If the child’s been with you here so long, it is very unlikely you could lose custody.
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.
