Anyone in Maryland who has children will probably agree that disagreements between parents about childrearing are common, even in the most stable of marriages or relationships. We all have different ideas of what is right.
And, if you find yourself in the opening stages of a child custody dispute in Maryland, chances are that those differences are being laid bare in front of the court as you begin the legal process of getting something like a definitive answer as to whose side might be right.
The beginning of the dispute
In Maryland, a legal action regarding child custody begins when one of the parents files the appropriate complaint in an appropriate court – which is in the area where the child and the parents live, typically. All filings of this nature come with a filing fee. From there, the complaint and other associated initial paperwork must be served on the other parent, which means that the parent receives the paperwork and it is clearly documented as properly received.
After the initial paperwork is served, the parent who receives the paperwork must respond within 30 days if that parent lives in Maryland. If not, the parent gets longer to respond. If that parent fails to respond to the complaint, the court may go ahead and make the appropriate decisions regarding child custody without that parent’s participation, known as making a default order.
If, however, both parents are engaged in the court dispute, the court will most likely encourage them to attempt to resolve the issue through out-of-court negotiations and compromise. The parents are the ones who know their child best, so they are oftentimes the best ones to reach an agreement – even if they don’t always completely agree on what is best for the child.