Can A Court Exercise Personal Jurisdiction Over A Non-Resident Defendant?

Question: Our divorce has not been finalized but we have had child support orders entered in the state my wife and children live (California). Now that I live in another state (Washington), can I file for divorce in this state as long as I’ve met the residency requirements or does …

Modifying Child Custody If One Party Moved To Another Jurisdiction

Question: My ex-wife and I currently have a child custody agreement that was determined in North Carolina. She now lives in Virginia and has filed with the courts there for a modification of parenting time. Doesn’t North Carolina hold jurisdiction because that’s where our agreement is, where I currently live, …

Preventing The Ex From Repeatedly Moving With The Children

Question: My ex-wife was awarded primary child custody and exclusive rights in regards to deciding where our children live. She has repeatedly moved from the state we were divorced in, but is currently living in a state that I recently moved to. I am trying to get back into my …

Can Closed Child Support Cases Be Reopened In A New State?

Question: Do child support laws allow a closed child support case in one state to be opened in another state where there is a higher age of emancipation? We were divorced in one state (Texas) and my ex-wife and child live in another state (Missouri). The case jurisdiction was never …

Child Custody Laws: Preventing Your Ex From Moving The Children

Question: What are the child custody laws regarding keeping the custodial parent from moving with the children? My ex-wife wants to move with our children to live with her friends who live more than 100 miles away. I do not agree with her choice and believe it will put our …

Summer Visitation: Enforcing Court-Ordered Parenting Time

Question: My child custody agreement with my ex-wife calls for one 14-day visitation period each year. However, my ex-wife is telling me that I will only have 10 days with my daughter because of “other activities” scheduled when she is in town. Is there anything I can do to ensure …

Contesting personal jurisdiction in another state

Question: My wife and I live in separate states. She filed for divorce in the state she now lives in. However, that state has no personal jurisdiction over me so it cannot rule on alimony, child support, property division, etc. How do I notify the court that I am contesting …

Enforcing U.S. divorce court orders if living in another country

Question: I have a court order to pay alimony to my ex-wife. However, I have moved to another country (Australia). What jurisdiction does the state have in Australia to force me to continue to pay spousal support?

Divorce jurisdiction when both parties have moved out of state

Question: I would like to file a motion to modify my alimony payments but I am not sure which court has jurisdiction. We were divorced in one state (Maryland), but we both have since moved to different states (she’s in Michigan, I’m in Florida). So which state has jurisdiction to …

Where to file a motion to modify custody if the child has moved

Question: I live in the same city where our original divorce judgment was filed. I want to file a motion to modify custody so I can have more parenting time with my son. He lives in another city with his mother, but within the same state. Should I file the …