Q: Do I need to stay in contact with my ex when our child turns 18?
My ex is abusive and I was able to get sole legal custody by offering not to receive child support. My ex emails a few times a year to “check in” on our child. I typically respond with short emails that give details as to their health, school progress, and life in general without revealing any specifics that could cause harm to our child. Now that our child is 18 (and has had no contact with my ex for the last 10 years), do I legally need to keep this line of communication open? My child has their fathers phone number and email if they ever wished to reach out, but has shown no desire to do so.
A: As a general rule, once a child is 18, parenting time orders cease to have effect, though Judges will often consider enforcing the parental communication until the child has graduated high school if the child has not done so by the time they turn 18. Once a child is 18 and has graduated from high school, a parenting time order (including the part about parents communicating with each other) typically ceases to have any effect. This is because the child is typically considered emancipated by that time. It is wise to check your specific orders though, as there are occasionally orders with language requiring something different. To be sure, you should have a family law attorney look over your orders.
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.
