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Tag: notice to parents
  • Is a parent always a ‘necessary party’ to a custody action?

    Consider a custody action brought by a grandparent against the mother of a child. Grandmother is seeking primary custody, arguing that mother is unfit and has waived her constitutional right to exclusive care, custody, and control of her child. Grandmother does not name the father of the child as a defendant and makes no attempt to serve him with process. The complaint states that neither the grandmother nor the mother know the location of the father, and the father has never been involved in the life of the child. Can the court move forward on grandmother’s claim without the father named as a party?

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