There is no justice in the justice system. A judge is not “God”. How can a man who knows nothing about my child decide what is best for her? It wasn’t that I wasn’t “mature enough” to work out a settlement agreement, but that my ex kept asking for one more thing right before we could reach an agreement. First, I went into mediation thinking we were going to discuss every-other-weekend and holiday time, then he blindsided me with all of a sudden wanting every other week - Sunday to Sunday with him then the next week with me. Of course, I thought that would be too unstable for our young daughter, who at the time was only 1 1/2 years old. Then, right before we went to court - the day of court, as a matter of fact - he all of a sudden wanted every other Halloween. He cares nothing about Halloween; he just knew it was important to me. In fact, he has never taken her trick-or-treating and didn’t even send her a Halloween card or call her to wish her a Happy Halloween this past Friday, or ask her what she was going to dress up as, etc. The court order says that he is allowed to call our daughter on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights between 7 & 7:15, but he never calls. I call every time she is with him or his mom and dad. He is 2 months behind on his child support payments (owing approximately $1,100). He was fired from his last law firm and has now moved from Charlotte to Raleigh and gone to work with a new law firm where he is making a lot more money, but he won’t disclose his new salary information. The judge did not even take this into account, because all of this occurred in the middle of trial, but the judge did take the move into account by changing the exchange location where we meet. I don’t understand why I should be “punished” by losing 6 weeks a year with my child and a lot of holiday time, and he should be rewarded by gaining so much time when I have been her primary caregiver all of her life. I nursed her for 9 months. I worked full-time and carried insurance on her and him, while he went to law school. Like I mentioned before, he went 5 1/2 months without even seeing her. Personally, I think the judge either gave him more time because he was a lawyer or the judge owed his lawyer a favor. It was not a fair decision!
quote:
Originally posted by LeeRosen
Most folks filing an appeal in a custody case lose.
Most folks moving to modify a custody order that was recently entered lose.
Rarely is a custody decision by the court something that makes both parties happy. People that are truly happy with their custody decisions are the 95% of people that were mature enough to work things out without taking the case before a judge.
You should probably be grateful that it’s not any worse than it is.
Lee S. Rosen
Board Certified Family Law Specialist
The Rosen Law Firm
4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 200
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
NCdivorce.com
(919)787-6668
[quote]Originally posted by LeeRosen
Most folks filing an appeal in a custody case lose.
Most folks moving to modify a custody order that was recently entered lose.
Rarely is a custody decision by the court something that makes both parties happy. People that are truly happy with their custody decisions are the 95% of people that were mature enough to work things out without taking the case before a judge.
You should probably be grateful that it’s not any worse than it is.
Lee S. Rosen
Board Certified Family Law Specialist
The Rosen Law Firm
4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 200
Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
NCdivorce.com
(919)787-6668
The response posted above is based upon the limited factual information made available and is not intended as a full and complete response to the question. The only reliable manner to obtain complete and adequate legal advice is to consult with an attorney, fully explain your situation, and allow the attorney sufficient opportunity to research the applicable law and facts required to render an accurate opinion. The basic information provided above is intended as a public service but a full discussion with an attorney should be undertaken before taking any action.