Kelly Rutherford ordered to return children to father

While any custody battle can be very difficult for a parent to deal with, particularly in the case of a noncustodial parent who is trying to win more access to the children, it’s important to keep in mind that respect for the courts, judges and their orders can go a long way. Defying a court order or publicly disparaging a court official could have repercussions down the line.

Kelly Rutherford has been very vocal about her custody battle with ex-husband Daniel Giersch, which was spanned two countries and seven years since the couple first separated. After the children were able to come to the United States to visit their mother over the summer, Rutherford initially defied an order to bring the children to court so that they could be returned to Monaco, where they reside with their father.

Rutherford explained her reasoning for refusing to return the children to the media, saying “I have decided that I cannot lawfully send my children away from the United States to live in a foreign country.” However, one of the judges involved in the case was not pleased at her refusal, and Rutherford did eventually produce the children and send them back to Monaco, where the case will now be continued.

It’s common for one or even sometimes both parents to disagree with a court’s ruling, but it’s important to use a lawyer and go through the proper channels when attempting to appeal a ruling or petition the courts for further action. Failing to do so can cast the parent in a negative light and present the parent as adversarial to the coparenting process.

Source: Global News, “‘Gossip Girl’ star Kelly Rutherford forced to return both children to father overseas,” John Hadden, Aug. 12, 2015

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