Non biological child

North Carolina Divorce Law Divorce and Separation Answers
1

about 4 yrs ago my boyfriend was married to someone and while married to her he cheated on her and got another woman pregnant, child services took this child from her because she wasn’t taking care of her, his wife left him, and I met him and started helping him to get custody of his child, the judge gave us both custody of her, I have been helping take care of her since she was about 6 months old, she calls me momma and child services and the judge gave us both custody. My boyfriend and I broke up because I was wanting to get married so he ran, he took the child that I am talking about to his mom to take care of and I haven’t seen her in 4 days now.

My question is, do I have any legal rights to her, would I be able to get custody of her or any visitation. I don’t know what my options are at this point and I am just tore up over this, I have raised her as my own and he just took her from me. What can I do?

2

It sounds like you don’t need to get custody since you already have it. I would contact an attorney and maybe even the police for kidnapping.

3

If the court gave you custody in a previous order, you should be a party, and you should be able to move to modify to obtain custody/visitation. If there is no custody order, you should file a child custody claim. Even though you aren’t a biological parent, you have the right to file for custody. Refer to the child custody statutes for more information.

4

what would something like this run, cost wise?

5

The cost of an attorney will vary greatly depending on the total facts of your case and where you reside. You should consult with an attorney in your area so you can discuss all the facts of your case and be quoted a fee for services.