NON-RELATIVE ALLEGED EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRING A HEARING ON HER CUSTODY PETITION.
The Second Department, reversing Family Court, determined petitioner, a non-relative who regularly cared for the child, had made a showing of extraordinary circumstance sufficient to require a hearing on her petitioner for custody:
Although an individual who is unrelated to a child has no statutory right to seek custody … , a nonrelative may nevertheless be afforded standing to seek custody upon a showing of extraordinary factual circumstances … . We conclude that, contrary to the determination of the Family Court, the evidence presented at the hearing compels a finding of “extraordinary circumstances” … . The petitioner sustained her burden of demonstrating extraordinary circumstances based upon, inter alia, the prolonged separation of the grandfather and the step-grandmother from the subject child, their lack of significant involvement in the child’s life for a period of time, their failure to contribute to the child’s financial support, and the strong emotional bond between the child and the petitioner … . Matter of Cade v Roberts, 2016 NY Slip Op 05495, 2nd Dept 7-13-16
FAMILY LAW (NON-RELATIVE ALLEGED EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRING A HEARING ON HER CUSTODY PETITION)/CUSTODY (NON-RELATIVE ALLEGED EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES REQUIRING A HEARING ON HER CUSTODY PETITION)