Does the circuit court handle serving the defendant for you or is that something you have to do yourself?
You must make arrangements to have the Defendant serve. You cannot serve the Defendant yourself, as in hand the person the papers, or mail them yourself. The sheriff will do it for $40. A private process server is slightly more.
Md will only send him papers in the mail (he keeps returning them) because of ‘jurisdiction’. We have an agreement (signed) to which he hasn’t stuck to at all regarding payments and weekends for him. What can I do to get this enforced and resolved?
You can file with the court to enforce the agreement yourself. You do not need child support enforcement to do it. Have him personally served. Then proceed with the court matter.
You should consult with an attorney about all of your options.
There are reasons I left. Mainly because my son, 13 then, refused to see his father Bc of abuse accusations and threats of his father to kill me in front of my son. The father then cut off all contact, including blocking my number. Financially we were on the verge of homelessness so we moved to NC... Read more »
Regardless of the reasons, you still needed to follow the correct process by going through the court. Will you lose custody? Probably not. However, the court will not be happy with you which will make it much harder to present your case.
Online mediation does not change a court... Read more »
Once being deemed the legal father by Maryland's Affidavit of parentage, does this give me full legal rights to have a relationship with my child, and be an active father? Even if the mother has since moved to another state? Do my rights disappear because she, and the children crossed over an... Read more »
You should consult with a family law attorney- they will be able to tell you whether you would need to file something in Maryland or the other state to challenge the ruling/judgment (most likely the other state). It is unclear what the due process/14th Amendment violation would be if you had... Read more »
I have been in a very bad marriage from 5 years, it is not necessarily physically violent but it does get very violent and I have many times decided to quit but he always stops me. I am at last pregnant now and I do want to have the baby because I have a good job and supportive family however I no... Read more »
Leave this abusive relationship and go have your baby. File for custody and request child support. Call House of Ruth for advice and possibly representation or referral to pro bono or reduced fee legal representation.
grabbing their hands and making them play with his penus
It’s called child abuse. Call the police and report the abuse. Be prepared for Child Protective Services to get involved and the person potentially being arrested and prosecuted. If the perpetrator is living in the household of the child, that person or the child will be removed from the... Read more »
14 yo teen wants to live with father due to poor relationship w/ his mother. It's a battle each time he is scheduled to go there - and has at times, refused to get in her car. She continues to collect child support but rarely takes her son except for 1 or 2 nights on weekend. Son is registered to... Read more »
Yes. Hire a lawyer to file for modification of custody and support.
My childs father will not stick to the agreements we have and it is very difficult at times. I would like either full custody or a court ordered joint visitation. Not to mention he only wants to do “every other weekend”. His family does most of the work for him as far as picking my child up and... Read more »
Need more information. If you do not have a court order regarding custody and visitation than you should contact a local attorney to best determine your options. Court orders can be enforced better than informal agreements.
He told me that she can get full custody since they both don’t currently live in my nieces school district and she filed first so he has no rights. I don’t live in Maryland and I was wondering if this is true and or if there is anything that can be done or if he is leaving important information out
The best thing he can do it get an attorney asap. He has rights as a father. School district is one of many factors that may be considered when determining factors that would be in the best interest of the child.
My sister is a pregnant (7 months) stay at home mom of 3 girls (babygirl due in October). Her husband was caught cheating on the same day my sister told him she was pregnant. She’s had a part time job for the last year in efforts to transition back into the work force. Now she has a high risk... Read more »
The parent with more money is not a consideration. It is who actually cares for the children and is willing to care to for them. If he suddenly wants the kids when he only sees them when he asks while not providing any financial support, the court will likely realize this is about not paying... Read more »
She doesn't have a stable home she does not work
Your question is very vague. Is there already a court order in place? Is there is a contractual agreement between you two? If there is not a court order, you need to file a complaint for access/visitation/custody. If there is a court order and she is violating it, you need to file contempt and... Read more »
What's the legal binding of this type of agreement
Lawyers draft separation, property settlement, custody and support agreements all the time, sometimes just addressing one or two of those issues. This forum is not designed to provide legal forms for do-it-yourself drafting. Custody, visitation and support agreements or consent orders (as well as... Read more »
My children’s father/estranged husband abused me for 18 yrs. My bones have been broken, & I’ve been covered in lumps & bruises. His violent alcoholic abuse turned into countless death threats & he started threatening & physically abusing the boys & my disabled Mother. Which he admit to in... Read more »
Your situation needs a lawyer to ask you questions and get more information in order to advise you. So, please contact an attorney experienced in divorce and domestic violence.
I’m 17 and have been asking my mom multiple times if I could go live with my father because she is constantly getting home late from work where she works from 8:00am - 4:30 but gets home at a lot of times 9pm or even sometime 12am at night. When she isn’t home always have to take care of my... Read more »
Your father can file to modify custody. He does not need your mother's permission to do so. Also in the state of Maryland, you can petition the court in your own right to modify YOUR custody. If your sister is under 16, she cannot do it herself.
Mom and child are maryland residents. Dad lives in Philadelphia. Mom is the only one on the birth certificate but dad did Establish paternity. We have been to court but the case was dismissed without prejudice because dad didn’t show up. So now I’m face with boundaries being cross confuses as... Read more »
Unless there is an order specifying otherwise, both parents have equal rights to have the care of the child and to make decisions about the child.
My daughter has been under my sole care until she was 4 months old, but due to an abusive situation at my parents, we had to move in with her father( the only other person we know in Maryland.) Me and my child's father were never married but he signed an Affidavit of Paternity after she was born.... Read more »
It’s a complicated question. With no court order in effect, either parent has legal authority to have physical custody and can move out of state. However, because this is the child’s home state of residence, Maryland courts have jurisdiction to hear a custody dispute under the Uniform Child... Read more »
He was abusive to me and got arrested when i finally called 911 and i have a protective order and through that protective order i made sure he could see our daughter this happened 5 months ago she is now 8 months but he sees her tuesday,thursday 4-9pm on those days and monday, Wednesday, 4-9pm and... Read more »
If he actually said that in court, he is not getting joint custody. One of the factors in determining custody is sincerity of request. The parent has to want to have the child, not just want to get out of child support.
The court will consider the totality of the situation in... Read more »
She refuses to switch his school or stop the child support because it helps her pay her bills. But I feed him clothe him take and pick up from school what can I do? I have plenty of text messages and people who have witnessed this who stated they would go to court for me
You MUST file to modify the child support. As long as the order is in place, it must be followed. If she will not modify it, you must.
It depends upon what your court order states regarding custody/access and moving. If you have custody/access and her move disrupts/hinders it, then you can file contempt because your access/custody rights have been violated. Carefully read your court order. If you don't have a court order, I... Read more »
Sons father wanted an abortion, was verbally suicidal, showed no interest, hasn’t seen son in over a year and recently contacted said he was okay if things stayed the same. He admitted to looking on social media to see sons up bringing but no contact when in state (and at same work place) to see... Read more »
No attorney can guarantee what a court will do. Custody involves many factors and it also depends upon what is testified to at trial by you, him, and witnesses, if there is a trial. Much more information would be needed to assess the probability of you getting court ordered physical and legal... Read more »
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