San Diego, CA asked in Family Law, Child Custody and Divorce for California

Q: Is it considered kidnapping if I bring my daughter with me to visit family in Hawaii if my husband doesn’t give consent?

My husband and I are still married, live together in Southern California, and never had any custody hearings. He doesn’t want our daughter to go. His reasoning is because of COVID-19 but we just went to visited his parents in Northern California. So I don’t see the difference.

1 Lawyer Answer

A: No. If you are parents married with no court orders limiting where when and who the child can be with, either parent can travel freely subject to not putting the child’s health safety and welfare in jeopardy. In this case that would following protocols for travel. Covid-19 has been addressed by some courts and the the consensus is that it is not a reason to deny parenting time. Every case does turn on its own facts however.

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.