Needs to get sole custody

My daughter lives in Las Vegas and needs to get sole custody of her child. Right now she has joint custody with her ex-husband, who is an alcoholic and is living with his girlfriend. He makes threats to take their daughter out of state, to file for sole custody so he can get child support because he needs more money, etc. He was abusive during their marriage and she has police reports to back that up, but cannot afford much for an attorney to try for sole custody. What is her best course of action to obtain sole custody?

Am I assuming correctly that this is "joint" legal custody, primary phys. to the mom? If so, He's just blowing wind, continuing the abuse, verbally. If so, I'm guessing that mom can leave(not what she wants) but father can leave, too, and she can't take the child out of state for a prolonged period, without court permission, but he cannot take the child at all, without a custodial interference charge. She needs to get as much information about him, and the girlfriend, their family, the work they do, license numbers, etc. to be prepared, in case he goes, but both moms and dads make threats, and in most jurisdictions, threats like this are common, but she's got to be ready. Contact NCMEC, they will send you a file to keep information in. -PS

Thank you - but what NCMEC? And how does she contact them? Also, they have joint legal custody - he pays no child support since she only has their daughter 4-1/2 days a week and he has her 2-1/2, and said it would be a monetary hardship on him - he has also refused to pay the monthly payments on the bills not listed in the divorce decree and so her credit is looking very bad right now due his lack of payments, even though she was only a co-applicant for two of the credit cards. He has taken her out of state twice but refused to let my daughter take her to California to see her great-grandmother was was very ill. This is really turning in to a mess since the divorce has been finalized.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Irish:
[b]Thank you - but what NCMEC? And how does she contact them? Also, they have joint legal custody - he pays no child support since she only has their daughter 4-1/2 days a week and he has her 2-1/2, and said it would be a monetary hardship on him - he has also refused to pay the monthly payments on the bills not listed in the divorce decree and so her credit is looking very bad right now due his lack of payments, even though she was only a co-applicant for two of the credit cards. He has taken her out of state twice but refused to let my daughter take her to California to see her great-grandmother was was very ill. This is really turning in to a mess since the divorce has been finalized.[/b]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I suggested National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, they have a website, and can give you/your daughter much more information about preparing fdor the worst.
She's being overly kind, I guess for peace,
I hope for the child that he never takes off, but, in the event that it happens, her emotions will take over, with worry. If she's got the file, it's so much easier to think.
Good Luck.-PS



[This message has been edited by PapaSmurf (edited May 28, 2000).]