Grandparent Rights in North Carolina
Seeing your adult child or family member make bad decisions can be a huge stressor on your family. If it’s time for you to step in, seek the counsel of our experienced family law attorneys at Dummit Fradin. We’ll help you navigate the complexities of a custody case.
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The Limitations of Grandparent Rights
While grandparent rights and third party custody are rapidly evolving areas of family law matters in North Carolina, grandparent rights are currently quite limited. State law presumes that a child’s biological parents are the fit and proper persons to care for the minor child. In many cases, however, this is not the case and grandparents and other family members step in to raise the children.
Grandparent (third party) rights are governed by N.C.G.S. 50-13.1, which provides that “any parent, relative, or other person, agency, organization, or institution claiming the right to custody of a minor child (who has not as yet attained the age of eighteen years) may institute an action or proceeding for the custody of such child.” In order for a grandparent or third party to be awarded custody of a child, the grandparent/third party must show that the biological parents are either unfit and/or have acted inconsistent with their constitutionally protected rights as parents.
Alternatively, if there is an ongoing child custody dispute between the parents, grandparents may request to intervene in that lawsuit and ask for custody or visitation. This option is only available where the mother and father have already started a lawsuit. In these cases, it is important to hire an attorney who can communicate the needs and desires of your particular situation.
Dummit Fradin: Passionately Protecting Your Rights
We at Dummit Fradin handle a variety of family law and divorce cases, representing mothers, fathers, grandparents and in some cases, other family members as well. We know how important your grandchildren are and we will use our experience to ensure what is best for their future.
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Your needs are our top priority. No matter what the case entails, we look forward to meeting and working with you to get through this matter as efficiently and effectively as possible. Stop by one of our locations today in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, or High Point, NC. We currently service the following counties: Forsyth County, Guilford County, Surry County, Stokes County, Yadkin County, Davie County, Davidson County, Rockingham County, Randolph County, and Alamance County.
