Legal Question in Family Law in South Carolina

My legal rights as a father

I would like toknow my legal rights as a father. I have a 7 year old daughter with my wife. We have been seperated for about 4 years and we live 4 hours away from each other. Since the seperation our daughter has lived with my in-laws up until this past August. I have never been able to see my daughter whenever I wanted to without hassles. And now that my daughter is living with my wife and her boyfriend she wants to cut me out of my daughters life completly. I admit I have not always been an active father in my daughters life, because I decided it was better to avoid making a bad situation worse, but I'm so afraid of loosing my daughter and I want to be there for her. What rights do I have as a parent? Can my wife stop me from being a part of my daughters life? She tells me my daughter don't want to see or talk to me. I have a hard time believing this because we have always been close. My wife has moved and won't tell me where they are at, her phone number, where my daughter goes to school. The only contact I have is when she calls me, and that's only been twice since she's had my daughter since August. What can I do? Please help.


Asked on 10/29/02, 1:51 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Robert Johnston Law Offices of Robert J. Johnston

Re: My legal rights as a father

You can file for visitation in the family court. You will probably need to do this is the county that they reside. You need to locate her so that her mother can be served with the papers. If it is difficult to find her, a private investigator can help. Contact an attorney in the county that you think she is in and get some advise.

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Answered on 10/29/02, 8:45 am


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