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Articles Posted in unfit parent

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Reunification vs. Adoption, Important Factors Must be Considered

IN THE MATTER OF: J.M. (No. COA19-421) Under certain circumstances, a court will remove children from the custodial care and control of a biological parent and place them with a foster family. The court then develops primary and secondary case plans. The case plans consider the children’s best interests and…

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Termination of Parental Rights: Should the Reasons Be Spelled Out?

In re C.V.D.C. and C.D.C., _______NC________ (2020). In North Carolina, for a Termination of Parental Rights petition to succeed, a set of factors set out in N.C.G.S section 7B-1110(a) must be weighed by the court. If the balance of those factors favors termination, the trial court has discretion to do…

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A Clarification on Custody and Visitation

Routten v. Routten, ______ N.C. _______ (2020). Child Custody can be a hotly contested issue in divorce cases with minor children involved. In certain instances, a court can award sole custody to one parent and even deny visitation to the noncustodial parent. That determination is severe and, by law, must…

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Who Can Apply for Custody in NC: Part 4

When analyzing custody, the issue of who has rights to custody of a minor is commonly focused on the biological parents of the child.  In the eyes of the law, under the right circumstances, biological parents may be disfavored in congruence to “third party” individuals who assert rights to custody.…

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Who Can Apply for Custody in NC: Part 3, When the Best Interest Standard Doesn’t Apply

By: Leesa M. Poag, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group

In a typical child custody case, the mother and father of a child are seeking the intervention of the court to settle their dispute over who should be granted custody of their child.  Though this is the situation most often facing family law attorneys throughout the Triad, the cases become…

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Who Has Standing to Apply for Custody in NC: Part 2, Unfitness of Parents

By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group

As contentious custody cases in the Piedmont progress, it is likely that a parent may be called “unfit.” In a legal context, this word has a specific meaning, and drastic consequences should the court find a parent unfit. In this second installment on standing to apply for custody, we will…

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Who Has Standing to Apply for Custody in NC: Part 1, Constitutional Rights

By: Jennifer A. Crissman, Attorney, Woodruff Family Law Group

If you have been involved with a highly contentious custody case in the Triad, you know that family members will start coming out of the woodwork to ask for custody of the minor children. This phenomenon is even more prevalent when the parents are not adequately caring for their children.…

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