So many questions. Were you married? Is the ex on the birth certificate? Was there EVER a custody order entered by any court? How long ago was "one day"? Have you remained in communication with your 15 year old? Does he WANT to live with grandma or with you in Utah? Does grandma have a... View More

Utah Code Annotated 34-23-205 lists "baby-sitting" as a permitted occupation for minors 12 years of age or older, so the short answer to "is it legal" would be yes. The reasonableness of leaving minor children in the care of another minor is subjective and would be reviewed by... View More

Hello. ICWA is applicable and very complicated when it comes to adoption cases, and the forms on the court's website are for basic adoptions. Honestly, I am surprised that the court's website has adoption forms at all, as there are many varieties of adoption cases and overall they are... View More

You are correct that you should list yourself as the father on the birth certificate. You need to voluntarily relinquish your parental rights and allow the husband to adopt the child. You need to understand that this will forever extinguish any legal rights you would have with the child (although... View More

There is no reason you cannot contact your family and for the sake of your future relationship with them, you should. Until someone else is appointed your guardian, you are emancipated, or you turn 18; yes, your father could take you home. As your parent, he has that right.

In order to be... View More

Utah Legal Services may be able to connect you with a local attorney who could help you pro bono (free). The short answer is "yes, you can be emancipated without your parents consent." You will need to show that you can actually support yourself and not rely on the family you are staying... View More

It depends. Generally speaking, without any other information regarding your friend's situation. Do the proctor parents have a custody or guardianship order? If they do, they likely have a right to open your friend's mail and may have a right to control his finances. Also, if they... View More

I'm having a sense of deja vu with this question. Possible? Almost anything is. Advisable? That depends on whether dad is still an alcoholic. If dad is still an alcoholic, mom lets the 14 year old go live with him, and anything happens to the child; mom could face both civil and criminal... View More

Possible? Almost everything is. Advisable? Probably not unless dad is a year sober. Legal? You have already set a precedent by allowing variations from the court order. If dad petitions the court, he could possibly get more visitation than the current order but it is much less likely that he would... View More

If the girls and their mother live in Utah, you can file an action for custody and visitation for persons other than parent (see Utah Code Annotated 30-5a-103). I do not believe there are any forms precisely on point on the Utah Court's self-help website... View More

You should have a very strong case for abandonment and termination of parental rights if the sperm donor knew where the child was, had the ability to make contact, and merely failed to make an effort to maintain contact. If he can demonstrate attempts to communicate or show that you interfered with... View More

UCCJEA questions are never simple and this forum allows for very few details so remember that this answer is NOT legal advice. That being said, you can FILE for a lot of things; whether or not the Order is enforceable is another matter. It is incredibly difficult to get orders of this nature... View More

My reading of the statute is that being on the child abuse registry alone does not prevent you from adopting a child. I don't know the process, if any, for removing oneself from the child abuse registry, but I have successfully completed an adoption for an individual who was on the registry.... View More

Meeting in the middle is more or less the default absent a showing of why the arrangement should be different. At least if you arrange to meet in the middle you should know in advance when he is going to exercise parent time. If he fails to show more than once or twice, you likely have a good... View More

I'm sorry that you are going through this. The process can be a tricky process. If Utah is the Court with jurisdiction, you can request a "pick up order" in Utah. This order should allow the police to help you regain custody of your children. Once you have the Utah Order, you would... View More

She really needs a Utah family law attorney to ensure her rights are adequately defended. That being said, she should contact the clerk and see if an order issued after the missed hearing or if there had been any additional filings. She may need to ask the Court to set aside any order that was... View More

You will need to file a request / petition / motion (depending on the jurisdiction, it can be called different things) to modify the child support in the court where the child support order was issued UNLESS that court is in a state where neither you, your ex, nor the children still reside. If the... View More

This is an example of why you do not take legal advice from therapists. This is an extremely complex question and I would need more information to provide the best answer but based on what you have described, I would not be concerned. Even if the recording is technically illegal, which is not... View More

The answer to your question will require more facts to answer specifically. I suggest that you consult with an attorney on this issue. Here is some general information that may be helpful:

1. Generally speaking jurisdiction over minor children falls under the UCCJEA. The UCCJEA generally... View More

Providing an itinerary for travel is usually a part of the custody agreement. Even if it was left out, it is a really good idea and it doesn't cost you anything. If the travel dates are flexible, say so and keep the non-custodial parent updated. Make the child(ren) available by cell phone when... View More