A Michigan man is awaiting a judge’s ruling after a difficult child custody battle that has lasted for over three years. The case is expected to test a recently-passed Michigan law that allows biological fathers to petition for parental rights when they are denied. “I believe my daughter’s entire future resides on me winning this case and getting her home, no matter how long it takes, and no matter how high the mountain is that we have to climb,” the man explained.
Michigan parents who believe they have been wrongfully denied their parental rights or suffered an unfair child custody decision should contact a qualified family law attorney to learn more about their legal options. In some cases, a modification may be able to secure them visitation rights or a better custody arrangement.
The girl’s mother became pregnant and began living with the man in 2006. At the time, the woman told him that she was divorced. However, the man claims he was denied the right to sign his name on the child’s birth certificate once she was born, discovering that the woman was actually still married. Although the couple lived together with the child for the next two and a half years, they eventually separated and the mother went back to her husband. The husband was ultimately awarded parental rights after appearing before a judge, although he is currently imprisoned on drug trafficking charges.
The man claims the girl’s mother and her husband “colluded in order to manipulate and defraud the courts in order to kidnap” the child. The man’s attorney has praised him for his tenacity to win back his child and change what he sees as an unjust child custody decision. However, it is unclear when the judge will issue a decision on the case.
Source: WNEM, “Twisted parental rights case tests new state laws,” Erik Horn, Andrew Keller and Tom Plahutnik, Oct. 19, 2012