Legal Question in Family Law in California
If your child lives with mom in arkansas and will be 18 in 3 months can he move to california with the dad and stay, can the courts make him move back to arkansas?
1 Answer from Attorneys
California law holds that if the child will be moving at the age of 18, then the court no longer has jurisdiction over him since he is an adult. However, if he still is in Highschool at age 18, the court has jurisdiction up to the age of 19 or when he graduates whichever occurs first. If you are suggesting the move before the child turns 18, the California court still has control over the best interests of the child and if existing California court orders mandate that he is to live with his mom, the mother could demand the son's return if he left to live with his father. If the court orders on custody are from an Arkansas court, then that state law controls custody and you should be talking to an attorney in that jurisdiction.