As we as a nation face the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19, many courts around the country have been forced to shut their doors to the public and severely limit the types of hearings judges can hear as well as limits on what types of new petitions can be filed.
Here in Virginia, a state of judicial emergency has been declared at least until April 6, 2020. As a result, many of the local juvenile courts are not accepting new custody, visitation, or support petitions for filing, that is to say, custody or visitation petitions for child who has never before been a subject of a Court Order for custody and visitation. There are some exceptions for emergencies, but they are limited in nature and scope.
However, if you already have a Court Order for custody, visitation, or child support, you can file a Motion to Amend those Orders via mail, or electronically via email. The Court is not processing these new petitions until after April 6, 2020, but by filing in advance, you can at least ensure your petitions are received by the Court, and processed in the order in which they were received, hopefully securing an earlier court dates available for hearings. Attorneys are able to file Motions to Amend on behalf of our clients, which means the motions can be signed and submitted to the Court without face to face contact between attorney and client, to aid in abiding by social distancing while still being able to vigorously represent our client.
If you have questions about filing for custody, visitation or child support during these difficult times, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (804) 423-1382 or info@wmmlegal.com.
