COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on our society since it arrived with a vengeance in Florida in March 2020. Our lives were transformed almost overnight, and those changes have continued to impact Florida’s families for the past year. Child custody disputes during this pandemic started almost immediately.
Locally, in the early months of the pandemic, there was a well-reported story of a physician whose husband filed an emergency motion with the Court to suspend the mother’s time-sharing because of “concerns over the mother being exposed to COVID-19 and thereby endangering the children”. The presiding Judge initially granted that motion without a hearing, but that decision was quickly overturned on appeal just weeks later.
Since those early days, similar disputes have played out in Courts all over Florida. Parents did not want to send their children between houses, even locally. Parents did not want to send their children to parents who lived a plane flight away. Parents argued over COVID-19 measures, with parents not being on the same page with how they observed quarantine measures. Parents disagreed over online versus in-person school when schools reopened in South Florida in January. And the arguments continue.
There is no COVID-19 exception for Court Orders. Parenting Plans are Court Orders, and Court Orders should always be followed. COVID-19 is not considered a good excuse for violating the terms of your Parenting Plan. If you have questions about your parenting plan whether COVID-19 related or not, call the experts at Brodzki Jacobs for a confidential consultation and evaluation of your specific situation.
