Stepparents Rights of Visitation

For years the courts had considered that biological parents and not stepparents had rights relative to custody, and only when a biological parent was shown to be unfit, did a stepparent have a viable case to claim custody.  However, there has been a slight change to this theory over the recent years and some stepparents have been awarded custody.  And although his is still a rare occurrence, the courts have modified their position regarding visitation.  It is now quite common for a stepparent who has had a close relationship and has been actively involved in raising the child, to be granted visitation.

See Also:

Family Visitation 

Reasonable Visitation too Vague For Most Judges

Supervised Visitation

Under The Influence and Visitation Don’t Mix