§ 11-925 — Rules regarding certain pending child custody cases.

District of Columbia § 11-925

• Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
• Title 11: Organization and Jurisdiction of the Courts. [Enacted title]
• Ch. 9: Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
• Subch. II: Jurisdiction.

Text

(a) In any pending case involving custody over a minor child or the visitation rights of a parent of a minor child in the Superior Court which is described in subsection (b) [of this section]—

(1) at anytime after the child attains 13 years of age, the party to the case who is described in subsection (b)(1) [of this section] may not have custody over, or visitation rights with, the child without the child’s consent; and

(2) if any person had actual or legal custody over the child or offered safe refuge to the child while the case (or other actions relating to the case) was pending, the court may not deprive the person of custody or visitation rights over the child or otherwise impose sanctions on the person on the grounds that the person had such custody or offered such refuge.

(b) A case described in this subsection is a case in which—

(1) the child asserts that a party to the case has been sexually abusive with the child;

(2) the child has resided outside of the United States for not less than 24 consecutive months;

(3) any of the parties to the case has denied custody or visitation to another party in violation of an order of the court for not less than 24 consecutive months; and

(4) any of the parties to the case has lived outside of the District of Columbia during such period of denial of custody or visitation.

Legislative History

Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 2979, Pub. L. 104-205, § 350(a)