Today we’re going to be talking about new relationships after your divorce when children are involved. This could be shortly after the parties have filed for divorce or this could be after there’s been a final order. Now, generally speaking, what the court’s not going to do is keep a person away from the children because of the fact that the person is in a new relationship. If one of you gets involved in a new relationship and it appears to be committed, the court’s not going to micromanage their relationships for the most part.
Now what the court might do is take a look at things that might be red flags. If one of the people involved in the divorce hooks up with a sex offender, that’s a big deal. The court is going to intervene and some pretty rotten things could happen to the person who makes that move to be with a person like that. The court is going to be looking at major red flags like that or like a history of drugs, domestic violence and other red flags. For example, would you want your child to be around somebody who’s a sex offender or a long rap sheet because of the fact they committed a bunch of crimes?
Would you like your child to be around somebody who has a history of domestic violence? Would you like your child to be around somebody who has a history of drug use? Those are some things that the court is really going to look at. Alcoholism could be another major red flag that the court is going to look at. The court is not generally going to be micromanaging relationships unless there are some red flags. That pretty much sums up how a court is going to be looking at new relationships that people get involved with. Just remember to use common sense and think what would a judge really think about me being with this new person? Would they think it’s a good idea or a bad idea?
