Legal Question in Family Law in Maryland
My ex-girlfriend left the state of MD in the middle of the night, with our 4 yr old daughter, lied to to the sitter (a family friend) said she was home sick from work. Wouldn't answer the phone or respond to any text so that I could speak with my daughter for 2 1/2 days at which time she was driving t to California, which I did not become aware or until I was served by mail with a petition for custody of our daughter which had been filed by someone in California for her because it is not possible to drive from Maryland to California overnight. I had no knowledge any of this at all and now she says that if I want to see my daughter I would have to fly there at my expense whenever I wanted to see her or wait until she is 7. Is it legal for her to do that when our daughter was born here in Maryland and has lived her whole life?
1 Answer from Attorneys
Jurisdiction of the Court is where the child has lived for the previous 6 months. Hire a lawyer now to counteract the California suit.