Children are kidnapped by their parents every single year after divorce takes place. Once spouses are separated, the court will typically help the couple to create custody arrangements. The court tries to determine custody that is in the best interests of the children, but this may not necessarily be an arrangement that favors one of the parents. As a result, some hurt and angry parents will try to kidnap their children from the mother or father that has full custody.
If you suspect that your ex-spouse wants to take the children and run, you are going to want to express your concerns to a Los Angeles family attorney. You will then want to talk to the courts about the possibility of a restraining order, or about changing visitations from unsupervised to supervised visitation for the safety of the children.
Because the courts are primarily concerned with benefitting the children in a custody situation, they will often listen to your concerns and take action as necessary. You may want an attorney to help you make a valid argument and show why you have cause to believe that an ex-spouse might attempt to leave with your children.
If you are planning on relocating with the children, and your spouse is vehemently opposed to the idea, this may be one of the reasons that he or she may want to take the children. Also, if you have modified the custody agreement previously and your ex now spends less time with the children, then he or she may want to take matters into his or her own hands.
If you have been alienating the other parent, he or she may try to kidnap the children out of retaliation. The best way to prevent a parental kidnapping is with a court-enforced restraining order. The only way to get one of these orders is to go to your local family court, and with an attorney on your side you have a much better chance of arguing your case efficiently. Talk to a lawyer at Claery & Hammond right away so you can get the restraining order you need as fast as possible.