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Hi everyone, I'm new here.
Ex moved 250 miles away to another city when son was 9 months. She's been obstructing contact so now that he's 3y.o I have contact at contact centre every two weeks and skype contact on the weekend when I dont see him. This is an interim arrangement until final order is made.
What are changes of me getting overnight contact where I live? Any advice from people who have been through the mill on how I can ensure I can have him stay with me every other weekend and on holidays would be greatly received.
Also the interim order states "Costs in the application". Can anyone tell me what this means please?
Thank you so much for your help 🙂
Hi there
As long as contact has been going well, you stand a fair chance of getting contact progressed. I would suggest that you offer to start overnights where he lives, an overnight stay in a hotel or B&B,or try Airbnb for an overnight rental. Suggest that happens a couple of times, to ensure he is settled and comfortable and then suggest that contact moves to your location. Show that you are prepared for the journey, perhaps with in car videos and drinks and snacks and a half way stop.
You might have to accept a three weekly weekend, but go for the alternate weekends and see how it goes. The courts generally go with extra time for holidays and also you could ask for alternate, shared Christmas and birthdays.
The costs in application isn't anything you should worry about, costs are rarely awarded in family law anyway. However if there is absence leading to adjournment of a hearing for no good cause, or being a vexatious litigant can be shown by either party, an order from wasted costs could be awarded...still a rarity though.
Best of luck
Yep, long time ago I went through a number of hearings with my ex, and in each hearing, costs were reserved (which meant that at subsequent hearings, the option was there to award costs), and in the fina hearing for costs (bearing in mind, there were more hearings than there should have been because my ex either didn't turn up, or didn't fully comply with the orders), the judge refused costs on the grounds the the defendant acted reasonably for a person in her position, namely an alcoholic in denial, so the chances of costs being awarded against someone sensible acting reasonably are very unlikely.
very useful advice. Thank you very much
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