Child Custody Rulings

There have been a couple of rulings of interest this week in child custody cases.



In a Virginia case, Frederick County Judge John R. Prosser has determined that the Virginia court has jurisdiction to hear a child custody case between two women who had entered into a civil union in Vermont, although the case is already being handled in Vermont. The civil union has been dissolved in the Vermont courts, and a temporary custody decision has already been issued there.



Here in Massachusetts, the SJC in a 4-3 decision has determined that a woman (listed as B.L.) is not required to pay child support to her former partner, who had become pregnant while the pair were a couple, but who had not yet given birth at the time of their breakup. Justice Cowin wrote the opinion, with Justice Greaney penning the dissent.

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UPDATE: If the above link to the MA SJC opinion doesn't work (it seems to be intermittent), the case is T.F. vs. B.L. SJC-09104 August 25, 2004. You can get to it through the SJC site, or a legal database.