In Virginia, the courts use a number of factors to determine what is in the child’s best interest, which is the standard the court must use to determine visitation rights. However, if (1) you are a grandparent seeking visitation and both parents object, (2) only one parent is living or, as noted below, (3) one parent objects and the other parent does not give an opinion; you must first prove that the child will suffer “actual harm” before the courts will even apply the factors to determine if the visitation is in the child’s best interest.
A local Virginia court recently denied a grandparents visitation rights where her daughter, the child’s mother, did not want visitation to occur. The visitation was denied even though the grandmother had a strong relationship with the child for the first three years of his life and the guardian ad litem (an attorney looking out for the child’s best interests) recommended the grandparent have visitation. The court ruled that the grandparent’s absence from the child’s life, without more evidence, would not meet the necessary “actual harm” standard to grant visitation.
Grandparent Could Not Prove “Actual Harm.”
While there are a number of previously-decided court decisions that influenced the judge to rule against grandparents visitation rights and in favor of the mother, the main reason was that the father’s lack of voiced opposition (despite the father not being in the child’s or mother’s life) did not, as the Court stated, “equate to agreement or even acquiescence to grandparent’s requested visitation.” Thus, regardless of the reasons why the child’s father was out of the picture because he didn’t explicitly support the grandparent’s visitation rights request, the “actual harm” standard had to apply. While the Court felt the evidence showed that the grandmother’s absence would not be in the child’s best interest, without any testimony from a psychologist or psychiatrist (which there was none presented in this case), the “actual harm” standard was not met and the Court had to dismiss the grandparent’s petition under Virginia law.
Custody and visitation disputes can become very stressful and often times the courts’ decisions might seem unfair, but in every case, the main questions ultimately revolve around the best interest of the child. However, if you are a “person with a legitimate interest,” like a grandparent, you may have a higher burden than just proving this standard. For this reason, it is very important to hire an experienced family law attorney that is well versed in Virginia law and has the necessary experience with these types of cases to ensure the right evidence is presented, and arguments made, to maximize your chances of prevailing.
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If you are currently facing a family law matter, or even just have questions as you anticipate the need for legal assistance, contact our Virginia Beach office using our toll-free number 888-904-2951. Our office will assist you to schedule a consultation with an experienced family law or divorce lawyer.
