The respondent father brought a motion seeking expanded parenting time, including overnight access, with the parties’ young child.
The applicant mother opposed the expansion and brought a cross‑motion seeking dismissal of the motion, temporary custody, and other relief, arguing that the child was not comfortable with overnight visits and required stability.
An Office of the Children’s Lawyer report recommended gradual expansion of parenting time leading eventually to overnight visits, although no timeline had been established.
The court found no evidence suggesting that overnight parenting time with the father posed any risk to the child and concluded that progression toward overnights was in the child’s best interests despite the high conflict between the parties.
A staged schedule was ordered gradually expanding the father’s time to include overnights and alternating weekends, while custody was left to be determined at trial.
