Some divorced parents get along great and never need help from the court in working out custody issues. Others are back in court all the time - sometimes for valid reasons that truly need court intervention, sometimes not. There are hundreds of reasons a parent may seek court intervention in a custody dispute and each is often very specific to that individual case. One interesting reason that is not often heard - meteorology.
Comedian Ralphie May and his ex-wife, Lahna Turner, have apparently been having custodial issues, with May alleging that Turner has been interfering with his custodial time with their two kids. Ralphie May: Killer Typhoon a Threat to My Kids, by TMZ Staff, July 15, 2016, tmz.com. May recently filed an emergency petition to block Turner's vacation plans with the kids. Apparently, Turner was planning to take the kids to China for an "educational trip" right around the time that a super typhoon was set to his the area to which they were travelling. Though May was likely more motivated by the fact that his ex had been interfering with his custodial time, he used the typhoon as a reason that the trip should be cancelled. The court was swayed by May's argument and Turner was forced to cancel the trip.
While the storm was certainly severe, it seems like a pretty drastic reason to force a parent to cancel a trip. It is hard to imagine a parent being forced to cancel a trip to Florida because a hurricane was in the area. However, a court is going to look at the best interest of the kids. Perhaps it was the fact that they were traveling to a foreign country during a severe weather event that convinced the court that cancelling was the best option. Perhaps the court didn't give much weight to the typhoon was moved more by the custodial interference. Either way, this case shows how fact specific custodial issues can be. It is often best to try to work it out with your ex without court interference. If that is not possible, however, bring any and all facts to the table that may influence the court's decision. You never know what tone fact or issue may convince the Judge to rule in your favor.