What to Do if You Can’t See Your Child in Oklahoma
So one question I get a lot, or a situation I run into a lot, is I have clients come to me and say that the custodial parent or the other parent is not allowing them to visit with their child or children.
What do you do if that happens? Well, as always, consult with a good lawyer, but what a good lawyer should do for you is discuss with you your options about a motion to enforce visitation.
Options If You Have an Existing Court Order
The first question is, do you already have an existing court order that gives you visitation at certain times? If you do, you have a couple of options. The attorney can help you file a contempt citation, which is asking the court to find that the other party is an indirect contempt of court. That is a very serious accusation because it’s quasi-criminal. You can spend up to six months in jail, and get fined $1,000 for being an indirect contempt of court.
The second option and these two are often filed together, is a motion to enforce visitation. Now, why do we file a motion to enforce visitation? The main reason is that there’s a statute in Oklahoma that says that has to be heard within 21 days. When you’re not seeing your child, five days seems like an eternity. Most of the litigation that we do in family law takes weeks and months, but this is an option that you have to have your lawyer get you into court quickly and let the judge know, I’m not receiving my court-ordered visitation.
What to Do If There Isn’t a Court-Ordered Visitation
If there isn’t court-ordered visitation and the other parent is just refusing to let the child see your child or your children, then the lawyer should be experienced in dealing with other attorneys or the other parent, per se, without a lawyer. That is often the way that these remedies are brought about, is informal. You should hire a lawyer who’s experienced in this kind of negotiation, this kind of situation, and certainly with that kind of court motion and how to defend it or prosecute it.
Call Us Today
You should hire a lawyer who’s experienced in this kind of negotiation, this kind of situation, and certainly with that kind of court motion and how to defend it or prosecute it. I’m the Tulsa child visitation lawyer for Northeastern Oklahoma. If you have any questions about this or any other issues, please feel free to look up our contact information on tulsafathersrights.lawyer.
