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Strong Advocates In International Custody Disputes

It is devastating to learn that your child has been spirited out of the country, or that the other parent is refusing to return your son or daughter to the United States after a vacation or visitation abroad. You are cut off from your child and at the mercy of legal maneuvering in which you have no say. You may feel powerless and hopeless, but the U.S. and international law are actually on your side.

The Minneapolis law firm of Burns & Hansen, P.A., has favorably resolved numerous international custody disputes, from wrongful removal (abduction) to wrongful detention (failure to return a child). Our experienced trial attorneys have helped parents enforce Minnesota custody orders and retrieve their children through a variety of legal strategies, including petitions under the Hague Convention. We have also intervened in emergency situations to prevent a co-parent from taking a child out of the U.S.

Parental Kidnapping And International Abduction

International abduction — taking a young child to another country without the other parent’s knowledge or permission — is rare. Under the Hague Convention, an international treaty that specifically addresses custody kidnappings, foreign governments will usually order the child to be promptly returned. We can help custodial parents file for Hague Convention relief or pursue alternative legal remedies if that country is not a signatory to the treaty.

Most international custody disputes are more complicated than a “parental kidnapping.” Typically, the child has traveled abroad with the custodial parent’s consent, but the noncustodial parent has orchestrated a plan to keep the child in that country. Or, in the case of older children, the noncustodial parent may claim that the youth does not wish to return to the United States. While the Hague Convention supersedes local jurisdiction, the abducting/detaining parent may nonetheless raise the stakes by seeking to establish custody in the foreign courts.

Our Minneapolis custody kidnapping attorneys have the knowledge and experience to assert your rights under any scenario. We take proactive, multipronged steps such as invoking the Hague Convention, contacting the U.S. State Department and obtaining orders through federal courts and Minnesota family courts. We know who to call and how to respond to get your child back as quickly as possible under the circumstances.

We Can Help You Find A Path To A New Beginning With International Custody Disputes

We typically represent Minnesota parents with primary custody whose children are stranded in another country. We can also represent U.S. citizens seeking to override foreign custody orders to have “abducted” children remain in Minnesota. Call 952-219-7897 or contact us online today to discuss your rights and options with one of our Minneapolis custody kidnapping lawyers.

At the law offices of Burns & Hansen, P.A., we handle international child custody disputes on behalf of parents in the Twin Cities metro area and throughout Minnesota.