Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Iowa courts scheduled to hear child custody case that deals with Hague Convention issue
The Federal Court in Des Moines, Iowa will be reviewing a custody issue filed by a Swedish
father, as reported by the Times-Republican in a February 25th, 2013 news article.
In the petition the father argues that the mother moved their child to Iowa illegally.
The parents were originally married and living in Sweden together with their child. However,
upon their divorce the mother moved the child to the United States. The mother originally
claimed that she was going to the U.S. for a 90-day visit, but refused to return to Sweden
after the visit ended.
The lower courts ordered the mother turn over their daughter's passport so that the 3-year-old
child could not leave the country. Although the court informed the mother that until the
case went before the high court she was not allowed to leave the Southern District of
Iowa or faced being arrested.
The Iowa court will be deciding whether the mother violated the terms under the Hague
Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. This act prevents children
of international parents from being taken to another country and prevented from seeing
their other parent. The mother argued, on the other hand, that the father was aware
and consented to the mother and child moving to Iowa.