Our firm recently received an acknowledgment from the US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, US Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction for our role in having the Southern District of New York Order the return of two children to their father in Norway.
According to the State Department, the client was very fortunate to have Gourvitz & Gourvitz LLC as his counsel, and the department felt fortunate that our firm chose to participate in The Hague Convention Attorney Network.
The commendation reads as follows,
“Thank you for forwarding this article and photo regarding the [Client’s] case from Norway. We want to thank you for all of the time and effort you spent on this case and for the advocacy that you provided to the [Client].
Mr. [Client] was very fortunate to have you as his counsel, and we are fortunate that you choose to participate in the Hague Convention Attorney Network!
Sincerely, Legal Assistance Program – Coordinator U.S. Department of State | Bureau of Consular Affairs | U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction”
Legal Assistance Program – Coordinator
U.S. Department of State | Bureau of Consular Affairs
U.S. Central Authority for the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
Mother Failed to Return Children to Norway after Year Away
The case involved a mother who was both a United States and a Norwegian citizen. She spent most of her life in Norway and was married there and gave birth to two children.
When she and the children’s father divorced, she requested permission to bring the boys to the United States for one year but refused to return to Norway once that year expired. The children were prevented from speaking to their father after the mother deceived the father concerning the return of the boys to their home country.
Our firm located the children in the United States and petitioned for their return under the Hague Convention on Civil Aspect of Child Abduction.
The mother of the children argued at the trial that because one of the boys was born with Hirschsprung’s Disease and was treated in New York that he needed to continue treatment in the city. She further claimed the children were US citizens, that their habitual residence had been the United States, that the children had acclimated to the United States, and that their father had failed to exercise his custody rights and was abusive and posed a threat to her.
Witnesses Testify Children Cannot Receive Proper Medical Attention in Norway
One expert testified on behalf of the mother that a return to Norway would be traumatic for the children and that they would be exposed to grave risk because there was no way to treat their medical conditions in that country. Another expert was also called in on behalf of the children’s mother’ and testified that a return to Norway would cause psychological harm to both boys and that treatment for medical conditions needed to occur in the United States.
During the trial, our firm argued that the boys should be returned to their father in Norway. Throughout our cross-examination of the mother’s various experts and the mother herself, we were able to disprove all of the claims and show that the children should be returned to Norway. We provided the Court with letters from Norwegian doctors explaining their ability to treat Hirschsprung’s Disease post-trial as requested by the Court.
As a result of the case we built on behalf of the boys’ father, the Court granted the petition we’d filed requesting the children be Ordered to return to Norway so they could be reunited with their father.
If you have any questions about child abduction by a parent, The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction or any other divorce matter, contact Gourvitz & Gourvitz immediately via this website or by phone (937) 467-3200
