child custody

[tt0717]

my daughter has two children by her ex-boyfriend who is now married to someone else. he lived with my daughter for 4 years and the children have his last name. they did not go thru a divorce (this may be important). him and his ex-wife are now threatening to take the girls and keep them during a visit. not return them, which i understand he has the right to do since nothing has been established by a court as to who has what rights. we have decided not to let the girls go for a visit till we establish some arrangement with the courts which we must do soon. they love their dad and we do not want to keep them from him long. help! what do we need to file and how much $ are we talking?

 

[LegalBeagle]

my daughter has two children by her ex-boyfriend who is now married to someone else. he lived with my daughter for 4 years and the children have his last name. they did not go thru a divorce (this may be important). him and his ex-wife are now threatening to take the girls and keep them during a visit. not return them, which i understand he has the right to do since nothing has been established by a court as to who has what rights. we have decided not to let the girls go for a visit till we establish some arrangement with the courts which we must do soon. they love their dad and we do not want to keep them from him long. help! what do we need to file and how much $ are we talking?

You need to retain a Family Law Attorney immediately and have him file for custody. The cost depends on if the father fights for custody. Expect anywhere from $1500 to $5000.