Published Family Law Opinion from Ky Court of Appeals Today: Split custody modification jurisdiction under UCCJEA

Ellis v. Ellis

Ellis v. Ellis

 Where Ky did not issue original custody decree, neither child currently resides in issuing state and that state declines to exercise exclusive continuing jurisdiction, and one child lives with father in Ky and other child resides with mother in AZ, Ky is clearly the home state of one child and AZ is clearly the home state of the other child. The only issue is whether Ky should decline to exercise jurisdiction to modify because AZ is a more appropriate forum. While splitting jurisdictions should generally be avoided, in this case trial court was reversed because AZ has no connection to the son, no relevant information about the child is located in Az, and none of the factors of KRS 403.834(2) would favor AZ’s exercise of jurisdiciton over KY.

 

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