blossomthyme
Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? State of Maryland
I am a friend of family to a young mother (Trissa) who signed over custody of her 5 year old daughter (Georgia) to the mother of the father just a few months ago. Trissa did not have a relationship with the father but was encouraged by her mother to learn more about the father. Trissa has a learning disability and was living with her mother along with her daughter and then gravitated to the father's home (the grandmother's home). She has no criminal record nor has she had any trouble, legally or otherwise. She is a loving mother and the grandmother saw she had a learning disability and tricked her into signing a document that gave the grandmother sole custody. The grandmother told Trissa that she needed to sign the document so that she would be able to take her to the doctor, pick her up from school, things like that. Nothing about transferring custody to the grandmother. Trissa is 24 years old. She had no idea what she was signing and Family Court validated the document.
Just days ago Trissa took her daughter and will not return her. The child is traumatized and does not want to go back. She will not let her mother out of her sight and starts crying if she thinks she is going somewhere. The child feels like her mother is leaving her. The grandmother requested an emergency hearing for Trissa to return her child to her. The grandmother was not even in the childs life until Trissa's mother encouraged her to get to know the father better. The grandmother took the opportunity of getting closer to Trissa as just a ploy to get custody of her child based solely on the fact that the child is her son's daughter. Not giving any thought to the affect this would have on the 5 year old child and going so far as to request a hearing to get her back. The child and Trissa lived with Trissa's mother before she started visiting the father's mother. She got her to sign the document by driving to a place where Trissa was babysitting and told her she had to sign the document knowing Trissa would not know what she was signing. It was signed under false pretenses and it is unconscionable that she would harm the child's psyche in that way as the child has only known her own mother as her mother and is distraught at being kept at the grandmother's after being in her mother's care since birth. The grandmother started telling Trissa when she could see her and when she could not! She had to take her and is hiding at this time.
I have met the child and she is a lovely, intelligent and very cognizant of what is going on and she doesn't want to return to the grandmother's. The father is marginally involved at best.
How can she and her mother have this custody document reversed? Trissa's mother has gone to court for an intervention, as Trissa's mother was also caring for the child as well before the grandmother stole the child by using the court system which she must be familiar with. The judge basically ignored Trissa's mother's pleas for help. Just going by the signed document and not the extenuating circumstances.
My mother is personally involved with this family and after hearing this and meeting and seeing how the child clings to her mother, I am trying to find out what can or should be done to reverse this custody document so that the mother has primary custody again. She already had primary custody before, the father showed little interest in the child and still does. The court was not involved in their lives before the grandmother did this and there was NO custody issue before this. She was just her mother and there was no custody issues going on. The father didn't want the child!! That grandmother potentially is harming this child and Trissa's Mom is very concerned for her and wants to get her into therapy ASAP.
Thank you all for your input,
Beverly
I am a friend of family to a young mother (Trissa) who signed over custody of her 5 year old daughter (Georgia) to the mother of the father just a few months ago. Trissa did not have a relationship with the father but was encouraged by her mother to learn more about the father. Trissa has a learning disability and was living with her mother along with her daughter and then gravitated to the father's home (the grandmother's home). She has no criminal record nor has she had any trouble, legally or otherwise. She is a loving mother and the grandmother saw she had a learning disability and tricked her into signing a document that gave the grandmother sole custody. The grandmother told Trissa that she needed to sign the document so that she would be able to take her to the doctor, pick her up from school, things like that. Nothing about transferring custody to the grandmother. Trissa is 24 years old. She had no idea what she was signing and Family Court validated the document.
Just days ago Trissa took her daughter and will not return her. The child is traumatized and does not want to go back. She will not let her mother out of her sight and starts crying if she thinks she is going somewhere. The child feels like her mother is leaving her. The grandmother requested an emergency hearing for Trissa to return her child to her. The grandmother was not even in the childs life until Trissa's mother encouraged her to get to know the father better. The grandmother took the opportunity of getting closer to Trissa as just a ploy to get custody of her child based solely on the fact that the child is her son's daughter. Not giving any thought to the affect this would have on the 5 year old child and going so far as to request a hearing to get her back. The child and Trissa lived with Trissa's mother before she started visiting the father's mother. She got her to sign the document by driving to a place where Trissa was babysitting and told her she had to sign the document knowing Trissa would not know what she was signing. It was signed under false pretenses and it is unconscionable that she would harm the child's psyche in that way as the child has only known her own mother as her mother and is distraught at being kept at the grandmother's after being in her mother's care since birth. The grandmother started telling Trissa when she could see her and when she could not! She had to take her and is hiding at this time.
I have met the child and she is a lovely, intelligent and very cognizant of what is going on and she doesn't want to return to the grandmother's. The father is marginally involved at best.
How can she and her mother have this custody document reversed? Trissa's mother has gone to court for an intervention, as Trissa's mother was also caring for the child as well before the grandmother stole the child by using the court system which she must be familiar with. The judge basically ignored Trissa's mother's pleas for help. Just going by the signed document and not the extenuating circumstances.
My mother is personally involved with this family and after hearing this and meeting and seeing how the child clings to her mother, I am trying to find out what can or should be done to reverse this custody document so that the mother has primary custody again. She already had primary custody before, the father showed little interest in the child and still does. The court was not involved in their lives before the grandmother did this and there was NO custody issue before this. She was just her mother and there was no custody issues going on. The father didn't want the child!! That grandmother potentially is harming this child and Trissa's Mom is very concerned for her and wants to get her into therapy ASAP.
Thank you all for your input,
Beverly
