When a divorce is contentious and one parent has no interest in child custody or visitation, the parent who is awarded full custody may not want the children to continue their relationships with their in-laws. That can be a heartbreaking scenario for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. The grandparents may want to have a consultation with a firm handling cases of family law in Milwaukee, WI and see whether something can be done about it.
State Laws
Unfortunately, state laws do not offer much protection for grandparents or other relatives in this situation, but the laws do allow grandparents to petition the court for visitation as long as there has been a disruption in the family unit. The idea is that grandparents should not be interfering with a nuclear family when both parents do not want them involved in the children’s lives for some reason. But if the custodial parent may be acting out of spite or simply not wanting contact with the in-laws, those may not be seen as adequate reasons.
The Family Court Viewpoint
Family courts do strongly encourage both parents to be fully involved in a child’s life after a divorce. They no longer are quick to automatically award full physical custody to the mother, as was the case many years ago. However, when one parent chooses not to be involved, that person’s mother and father have scant legal ground to support their desire to maintain a relationship with the youngsters.
A Beneficial Relationship
Family court judges generally take the stance that a parent should be allowed to raise the children as they choose as long as this adult is a fit parent. Nevertheless, after hearing about the case from an attorney offering representation in family law in Milwaukee WI, the judge may feel that ending an established close relationship with grandparents will be difficult for the youngsters and not beneficial for their emotional well-being.
In these situations, attorneys with firms like Horizons Law Group have the task of convincing a family court judge to rule in the grandparents’ favor. The court has the ability to award visitation time with the children. Browse our website for contact information.
