Grandparents’ Rights in Child Support Cases

Grandparents’ rights. In the family law context, this might seem strange. After all, parents decide the best interests of their children, right?

While the law gives preference to parents in the care and custody of their children, Missouri has a specific statute that allows grandparents to intervene in a child custody case to assert their right to remain present in their grandchildren’s lives. The acrimony of a divorce can lead to one or both parents trying to exclude grandparents from any contact with their grandchildren – not necessarily by writing it in the judgment but simply as a consequence of how they implement a parenting plan. Where once grandparents had no legal recourse in such situations, today they do, and under certain circumstances may petition the court for regular visitation.

Grandparents also can become involved in other family law-related contexts. If the court finds both parents unfit or finds significant abuse or neglect in the household, the court may place the children in the temporary care of the grandparents. Also, if a parent becomes incapable of making legal decisions because of some type of illness, the court could appoint a grandparent to represent those interests.

At The Marks Law Firm, L.L.C., we have many years of experience representing grandparents’ rights in family court and juvenile court.

We represent grandparents and their interests in a variety of family law matters, including:

• Divorce
• Legal Separation
• Child Custody
• Paternity
• Custodial Parent Relocation
• Orders of Protection
• International Child Abduction
• Stepparent Adoption
• Juvenile Court Actions