Would Custody Be Granted After Years Of Abandonment?

Q: My daughters father has never been in her life consistently in 12 years. He has seen her about 8 times throughout the years and that’s usually after bumping into him. He has now filed for custody out of nowhere. I’ve never filed for child support as he said he wouldn’t pay it or would file for custody if I did. Would the courts grant a virtual stranger custody or even shared custody? Wouldn’t supervised visits be more likely in this case? Thanks

A: While he can file for custody, it’s extremely unlikely on these facts that he’d be granted custody. That said, in part the analysis on supervised visitation would turn on whether he’s already had supervised visitation to date – and also the basis for same. Schedule a consult with a Bronx Family Law attorney for a full assessment.