Five Costly Mistakes That Can Harm Your California Child Custody Case

At Land Legal Group, our Los Angeles family law attorneys say that there are often fewer arguments during a California divorce than the emotional litigation involving children.

Disagreements between parents over health, education, or religious upbringing can lead to fearsome custody battles—even between the most well-meaning parents. The solid convictions and intense emotions that individuals may have can occasionally result in making unwise choices that can ultimately hurt a custody case.

When California parents go their separate ways and cannot establish a child custody agreement independently, a judge will decide for them. Here, we discuss some of the most common and costly mistakes parents make during divorces.

Mistake One: Abruptly Changing the Child’s Schedule

If the judge learns that one parent unilaterally makes abrupt and dramatic changes to a child’s otherwise successful environment without the other parent’s consent, this can be seen as detrimental and could sway the judge in the parent’s direction.

Mistake Two: Isolating the Child from the Other Parent

This is an unfortunate and common scenario. One parent sees an upcoming custody dispute and decides to isolate the child from the other parent. Even if one parent has historically been the child’s primary caregiver, the court will look at both parents’ abilities to foster the child’s relationship with the other parent.

This means even if one parent has a solid case for getting primary custody, isolating the child could shift their preference to the other parent. Purposefully keeping a child from another parent is never a good decision, unless the parent can prove doing so keeps the child from harmful circumstances.

Mistake Three: Badmouthing the Other Parent

Badmouthing the other parent impairs the child’s relationship with them. Not only is it always harmful to tell the child negative things about the other parent, but it begins a pattern that could be detrimental to the child’s growth and happiness.

This negative behavior places the child in an unfair position, forcing them to deal with competing parents and take emotional “sides.” A California family law judge will view this behavior negatively and may lean toward the other parent’s positivity when making their custody ruling.

Mistake Four: Attempting to Move the Child Far Away from the Other Parent

California family law judges want to see that a custodial parent can foster the child’s relationship with the other parent. Moving the child away from that parent effectively strips the non-moving parent of their parental rights and could dramatically damage their relationship with the child.

Further, such action rarely succeeds. The moving parent will likely be pulled back to court, which will involve placing additional undue stress on the child and their relationship with the other parent.

Mistake Five: Placing the Child in Harm’s Way

It’s never a good idea to expose your child to unsafe situations, and a custody dispute is no exception. Exposing a child to illegal drugs, dangerous people, or irresponsible alcohol use can all harm a custody case.

Custody battles often involve intense scrutiny of every aspect of your life and can lead to highly stressful situations that cause even excellent parents to make unfortunate choices.

Contact Our California Family Law Lawyer Today

Having an experienced California family law attorney by your side is crucial during a custody dispute. They can help you navigate the intricacies of your divorce, potentially avoiding the common regrets we’ve discussed. We’re here and ready to listen. Call (310)-552-3500 today to connect with the Land Legal Group’s team of adept family law attorneys in Los Angeles.