You have a parenting time schedule showing when the children are supposed to be with both parents, but one of the parents refuses to follow that schedule. That parent brings the children home late or the following day. There are times parents continually fight over who has the children on what holiday.
What options do parents have in this situation?
A judge can appoint or the parents can agree to use a parenting time expeditor (“PTE”) to act as a mediator to interpret, clarify and enforce parenting time schedules. The parenting time expeditor can tell the parents if one or both of them have violated the court ordered parenting time schedule. This can be powerful because this neutral person can get a parenting time schedule back on track.
There are pros and cons to a PTE:
Pros
- Using a PTE can keep parents out of court by straightening out concerns or misunderstandings about what a court ordered parenting time schedule says.
- The PTE communicates with each parent individually allowing them to let the PTE know his or her side of the story.
Cons
- Each parent has to pay one-half of the hourly rate of the PTE.
- A PTE should not be used if there has been proven or alleged domestic violence.
It is important to know that a PTE is only used when there is an existing parenting time schedule order. A PTE cannot create a parenting time schedule for parents.
Do you want to know more about creating a parenting time schedule and making it work? Contact Jessica L. Sterle at (218) 722-2655 to schedule a consultation to discuss your case.