Rockville Divorce / Separation Lawyer.
It depends. Visitation is governed by the words on the paper. If you have a parenting or separation agreement or a court order that spells out what happens with makeup visitation and what happens when a holiday falls on a regular visitation schedule, that will control. If those two things are not either agreed to or contained in a court order, a contempt finding is unlikely. However, if he's also asked the court to modify visitation, the court might still consider changing the existing...
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It's impossible to say what will happen because it isn't clear what kind of hearing is scheduled. Normally, the first court appearance in a family law case is what is known as a "scheduling conference." Generally speaking (except in Prince George's County) no big decisions are made about the actual claims in the case at a scheduling conference. What does happen is strictly procedural. The court sets certain dates for hearings (such as a "pendente lite" hearing). If you are in Prince George'...
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You are correct that Maryland law requires the local agency to first try to find a placement with a relative before placing a child in foster care. However, the local agency in Montgomery County can be unpredictable and often takes actions that are confusing to parents. If you don't have a lawyer, you can contact the Office of the Public Defender in Montgomery County to get help. The lawyer assigned to you can interface with the local agency to give them the information about the relative...
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Part of your problem is that Maryland courts may not be able to deal with your case. It's impossible to say for sure from your post, but even if Maryland could deal with your son's custody and visitation, Maryland courts have generally held that children can't file as parties in their parents' case.
The first thing to do is to contact law enforcement. You need a lawyer to help you negotiate the maze of getting them to take action, but the Montgomery County Police Department is pretty knowledgeable. There are often jurisdictional issues as well, so you may want to contact law enforcement in the county where your child is being kept. Below is a link to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) site with a series of specific steps you can take: Also, check out...
First, any parent can always ask for a change in custody if they give the court facts to support a claim that there has been a substantial change in circumstances affecting the well-being of the child. Whether or not they can prove that depends on each case. The most important factor is always the child's best interests, which can include a number of factors. What you and your ex may have agreed to and/or any existing custody orders are very important. Every case is different, which is...
It depends. That's what the best lawyer will say to you. What it depends on can include lots of things, the most important of which is what you and your ex may have agreed to and/or the terms of the most recent custody order you have. Maryland Family Law Firm, L.L.C. has years of experience helping clients with problems like yours. Please visit our website at: www.marylandfamilylawfirm.com and register on our Virtual Law Office using the Contact page there.