{"id":519,"date":"2011-08-11T20:36:21","date_gmt":"2011-08-11T20:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scoresbyfamilylaw.com\/blog\/?p=519"},"modified":"2019-11-23T22:26:42","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T05:26:42","slug":"dismissed-generic-custody-modification-petition-wont-fly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/scoresbyfamilylaw.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/11\/dismissed-generic-custody-modification-petition-wont-fly\/","title":{"rendered":"DISMISSED: Generic Custody Modification Petition Won’t Fly"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I was in court this morning representing a mother against her ex-husband, who was seeking a modification of custody.\u00a0 In his petition to modify custody, the father made no specific factual allegations that would support a modification of custody.\u00a0 The father instead made only conclusory statements, such as “mother doesn’t support father’s relationship with the child.”\u00a0 Father\u00a0 alleged no specific facts, events or occasions when mother had interfered with his relationship with the child.\u00a0 Based on the father’s failure to allege detailed facts in his petition to modify, I moved to dismiss his petition, and the judge granted the dismissal.<\/p>\n

The law requires that any petition to modify custody include “detailed facts supporting the requested modification.”\u00a0 A.R.S. Section 25-411(F).\u00a0 The court is directed to deny the petition unless those detailed facts demonstrate “adequate cause for hearing the motion.”\u00a0 Id.<\/em> In practice, this means that conclusory statements are insufficient in a petition to modify custody.\u00a0 Specific facts must be alleged.\u00a0 For example, instead of alleging “mother has a drinking problem”, a father petitioning to modify custody could allege the following in his petition:\u00a0 “On May 22, 2011 at Johnny’s little league game, father had a conversation with mother during which mother was slurring her speech and during which father could smell alcohol on mother’s breath.”<\/p>\n

Petitions to modify custody cannot be taken lightly.\u00a0 When I represent a client seeking to modify custody, I explain the statutory requirement of detailed facts to the client.\u00a0 Then I have the client prepare a written narrative for me in which the client outlines chronologically or topically the specific detailed facts and events which the client claims support his or her request to modify custody.\u00a0 I then incorporate those specific, detailed factual allegations in the petition to modify.\u00a0 The client signs the petition to modify before it is filed, and the client\u00a0 thereby attests that the facts alleged in the petition are true and accurate.\u00a0 The “detailed facts” requirement\u00a0can also be\u00a0satisfied by filing an affidavit (or\u00a0multiple affidavits from various witnesses) concurrently with the petition to modify.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2011 by Scoresby Family Law \u2013 J. Kyle Scoresby, P.C. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was in court this morning representing a mother against her ex-husband, who was seeking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-child-custody"],"yoast_head":"\nDISMISSED: Generic Custody Modification Petition Won't Fly - Arizona Divorce & Family Law Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/scoresbyfamilylaw.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/11\/dismissed-generic-custody-modification-petition-wont-fly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DISMISSED: Generic Custody Modification Petition Won't Fly - 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