Grandparents who have maintained a relationship with the child — and are suddenly cut off from contact — may be able to sue for visitation rights, as can those who have been prevented from a relationship despite their best efforts.
There are several ways parents can lose their parental rights and consequently allow grandparents to get custody of their grandchildren. Under Georgia law, some of the ways those parental rights can be lost include: Voluntary contract releasing the right to a third person such as the grandparent.
In some states, such as Maryland, grandparents are legally allowed to have "reasonable visitation" if it is in the best interest of the child. With these laws, there often aren't explicit statutes to define what is "reasonable" or how the best interest of the child is determined.
Due to a constitutional requirement to recognize parental authority, grandparents cannot petition the court for visitation if their grandchild (ren) are living in an intact family with both legal parents. This prohibition has recently been extended by an appellate court to intact family involving adopted parents, and not just biological parents.
A parent may deny a grandparent visitation in Georgia if there is no court order requiring such grandparent visitation. If there is a court order requiring grandparent visitation and the parent is withholding such visitation, a grandparent may be able to enforce the court order via contempt.
Can a parent deny a grandparent visitation? As there are no automatic rights for a grandparent to their grandchildren, parents can deny a grandparent visitation if there is no court order allowing for contact.
Yes. Georgia law gives grandparents the right to ask a court for visitation with their grandchildren. Grandparents can exercise this right in one of two ways. First, grandparents may file their own, original court action for visitation with their grandchild.
Under the current family law, grandparents do not have the automatic right to see their grandchildren. Any contact the children have with their grandchildren would need to be agreed to by the parents.
The issue of whether or not visitation rights extend to grandparents is a matter for the family courts to decide. You may wish to consult with and/or obtain the services of an attorney who practices in the area of family law in your State.
Withholding Grandchildren from Grandparents: Everything You'd Need To Know. The law does not give grandparents any automatic rights to see their grandchildren. So, in almost every case, parents can keep children away from grandparents if they choose to. This doesn't mean grandparents have no other options.
Fortunately, the laws in our state support a grandparents legal right to see and spend time with their grandchildren. Under the Georgia Code (O.C.G.A. 19-7-3), grandparents may file a petition seeking visitation in any custody action, including cases involving divorce, termination of parental rights, and adoption.
once every two yearsGrandparents can only request visitation once every two years. Also, they can't request visitation during a year when any other custody action is pending for the child.
We are frequently asked what are grandparents rights when they have been denied access to their grandchildren. The sad truth is that grandparents do not have an automatic right to contact with their grandchildren.
Summary. Access for grandparents to their grandchildren should initially be sought through agreement with the parents or carers of the child. However, where this cannot be agreed, the grandparent can seek the leave of the court, and if successful, apply for a child arrangements order to agree access.
A grandparent must have a very strong case to succeed in taking custody of a grandchild. Grandparent custody is not the same as grandparent adoption. Even though a grandparent may gain custody of a child, the child's parents will retain parental rights. This is especially true if both parents are still alive.
According to her research, grandparents who live at a long distance tend to travel less often to visit and they stay longer, but the average number of visits that long-distance grandparents make each year is two to four times for trips lasting 5 to 10 days each.