Domestic Relations – Visitation – Dad’s Move – Travel Time

By Deborah Elkins
Published: June 29, 2009

A trial court did not abuse its discretion in modifying a father’s visitation schedule to adjust his midweek visitation and allow for more summer and school holiday time, after the father moved farther away and the extra travel time was disruptive to the children’s academic performance and participation in extracurricular activities, the Court of Appeals holds.

Nor did the trial court abuse its discretion in ordering that each party should be responsible for obtaining from the children’s schools all copies of report cards and tests for the children, instead of obliging the mother to provide such reports to father.

Because father’s right of access to the children’s school records was safeguarded by statute and by the express language of the trial court order, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in relieving mother of her duty to provide father with copies of those records.

Finally, there was no abuse of discretion in the trial court ordering mother to pay father $1,753 in unreimbursed medical expenses for the children, an amount agreed to by the parties, which was less than the father had requested.

Harding v. Harding (Felton, J.) No. 1157-08-4, June 23, 2009; Prince William County Cir.Ct. (Potter) Michelle C. Thomas for appellant; Roy J. Baldwin for appellee. VLW 009-7-272(UP), 9 pp.

Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Domestic Relations – Visitation – Dad’s Move – Travel Time

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