It’s quite possible that the execution of your Michigan divorce decree spelled the end of a contentious and highly negotiated process.
That would not be a rarity. Indeed, contested divorce is the norm in Michigan; legions of splitting couples have one or multiple material issues they must work out en route to marital dissolution and a new post-divorce beginning.
The kids are often at the heart of negotiated divorce matters. That is instantly understandable, of course. Nothing trumps their best interests.
Those interests will be closely considered by a family law court, with judicial scrutiny often continuing well after the ink has dried on a divorce settlement. Close court attention will especially attach in instances where one parent seeks to alter the status quo by relocating with the children.
The Michigan legal system is clear on that point, which we underscore at the established Bloomfield Hills family law firm of Hauer & Snover. We note on our website that “Michigan law requires custodial parents to obtain a court order to move a child more than 100 miles away from the other parent or to another state.”
Court analysis of parental intent will be laser-like in such a case. What is the stated reason for relocation? If objected to, what are the grounds cited by an opposing parent? How will the children be impacted? Will their best interests be clearly promoted or, conversely, is there little to support that conclusion? Indeed, might a relocation request be pretextual and motivated by an improper motive (e.g., retaliation or an attempt to change a support agreement)?
Post-divorce parental relocation with the kids is possible in Michigan, but only for a valid reason that is judicially endorsed.
A proven family law firm can provide further information.
