relocation of a child

hello, this is a question about my girlfriends situation ... she has a daughter from a previous boyfriend. my girlfriend and her ex boyfriend live a town apart in michigan and she is wanting to move to indiana( roughly 5 hours away from the childs dad) . she works for ford motor company making pretty good money, and he works as a bookey for sporting events. illegal betting ,under the table, no taxes taken out, and having no record of employment for the last year or so,(as the government would see it) the problem is ,...is that he has threatened to kill her over this,and said that the child would be without any parents then. this guy has always been very controlling and mentally abusive toward my girlfriend and her parents as well as others.he also drinks heavily. she thinks she is able to get a transfer to indiana from the ford motor company.and thinks it would be better for her daughter and herself,as of course i do. i told her that i felt ..looking at his track record of being in jail for assault and some misc. drug and drinking charges 3 times now that i did not think he had much ground to stand on,..if any at all?? what im asking is..is do you think she has a good chance at getting to do what she would prefer? i want to be able to help her , she is a nervous wreck and i can no longer let this guy walk all over her .i try to stay out of it, but i believe it is my job to make life as easy as possible for her and her daughter. this guy gives her one hundred dollars a month to help pay for her rent, no receipts,nothing to back up that he has ever spent a penny. she has been keeping a journal of his activities and things he threats and how each day goes with him and his attitude. i would just like very much to set her mind at ease. he threatens to take their daughter away from her and says she wont be able to see her. i know the judicial system would never let that happen looking at all the facts. i just want to help and i would appreciate your advice on this matter. thank you for your time and effort.

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

My response:

She needs to file for a Restraining Order. Since it appears from your post that there are no Court Orders in effect concerning child support and custody, then she needs to move to the new State with the child, and stay there long enough to satisfy the residency requirements to be able to file a Petition in that State for support orders.

IAAL

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[Illinois Parent]

Shawnstuff

It is very kind of you to want to help your girlfriend. Speaking from experience, your support is vital to her being able to do what needs to be done.

I strongly recommend that you contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1 800 THE LOST) on her behalf. Maybe have the info sent to your house, just to be safe and not tip off the 'father'. They are a wonderful source of information, and as we all know, knowledge is power. Prevention is the name of the game in both domestic violence and parental abduction.

More basic even than that is the reassurance that she will get that she is far from alone in this type of situation. I would also recommend getting into contact with any Women's Shelters and/or Advocacy groups in your area. Again, not only can they be of great help, but also can offer piece of mind and a knowledgeable, 'been there' shoulder. That is, for you as her primary support as well as for her. I wish you both the best of luck.

Did she list the father on the birth certificate ? If she did, then I agree with the earlier posting about proceeding with legal action, the move and then more legal action. If she didn't, MOVE NOW....
Has she contacted anyone within FORD for assistance. Do they have an EAP (employee assistance group) somewhere within Ford?? I can't find it on their web site but they probably have one on their internal site.