The Question:
Having sole legal custody, can I deny visitations if they are at a facility? I went to court and was granted a temporary order of sole custody. If the father is granted supervised visitation, can I deny that and request that we meet at a public place instead?
RJ Says:
If the Court grants Father supervised visitation, you need to take any and every step necessary to comply with the Court Orders as they are written. Oftentimes, a Judge will permit YOU to pick the supervisor. The answer that you are looking for may depend on how carefully you word your petition that includes a request for supervised visitation.
My best answer is to simply encourage you to review the Court orders extremely carefully and comply with them. Sole Legal Decision Making does not give you the right to not follow a Court order.
I also always ask my clients to act consistently with their stated concerns. If you alleged that the child would be in danger without Father’s access being supervised, and then you do not abide by the Court’s orders granting supervision and allow father something less restrictive, that may be used against you in the future as to the credibility of your initially stated concerns.
A qualified and experienced family law attorney can of course assist you in considering your options and then getting where you need to be. Most of us offer free, 1/2-hour consultations, in which your matter can be discussed in detail. That would be a great opportunity to discuss the specifics of your matter and develop a plan. I would encourage you to quickly schedule this free consultation.