I'm trying to figure out what my Fiance's daughters mother is up to. She has had custody of their child for the last 4 or 5 years and now all of a sudden we recieve a summons to appear in court because the child's custody is in question or "controversy" as they state in the documentation. Another summons stated that visitation needs to be determined. We have been in an on-going child support battle for over a year with DCSE and the mother and just recently went to court for the "pre-trial hearing". A deal was offered to her and she turned it down, resulting in the need to go to trial at the begining of next month. This custody thing though I believe is something different. She's pissed that the child support has been and is being reduced further, which may be a reason and I also think she's bascially trying to set in stone that she has physical custody of the child and to set a visitation scehdule, since this has never been legally established before (they were never married). Does that sound right to you all or is she doing something shady? Its strange because their arrangement was every other weekend a year...etc and he has never threatend her with a custody proceeding, so I dont know where the "controversy" comes in.

I am thinking it is just to establish that she has sole custody legally. I may be wrong but it sounds like there may not be much to it. Good luck!

Maybe the parents should try to get custody and visitation- cannot tell if you are talking about parent visitation or grandparent visitation. What may be a good idea to do is to pursue joint custody and possibly primary physical custody by the mother under a reunification plan.

I believe an attorney should be consulted for a matter like this.