Amidst her custody battle with ex-husband Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie has made a holiday visit to Colorado. She, along with her six kids, arrived shortly after Christmas and celebrated New Year’s Eve with some toy shopping.
Pitt and Jolie’s custody battle has loomed large since November, when Jolie’s legal representatives claimed that a custody agreement had been reached allowing her to retain custody of all six children. Pitt’s camp argues that no formal, permanent custody agreement has yet been reached. Pitt filed for joint and physical custody of his children in November.
Pitt continues to have supervised visits with his children. He was able to visit the kids during Christmas and bring them gifts.
Who Gets The Kids? Colorado Custody Battles
In Colorado, decisions regarding child custody are determined based on the best interests of the child. This means that the judge will looks at many different factors to determine a parenting time arrangement, including:
- The parents’ wishes
- The child’s wishes
- The relationships between child and each parent
- The child’s opportunity to adapt to a new living or education situation
- The physical and mental health of the parties involved (although disability cannot be used as a sole determining factor in child custody)
- The capability of the parents to put the needs of the child above their own
Child custody arrangements do not have to be permanent. The courts understand that circumstances change. Perhaps one parent loses his or her job, or one has to move to another country for work. There are any number of things that can go wrong that make a custody arrangement unfair or unenforceable. In those situations, the parents can ask the court for a child custody modification, which will also be based on the best interests of the child.
Our Denver family lawyers are ready to assist you in matters of child custody.