Frequent readers of our blog know that in most cases, when we are talking about child custody issues, we are looking at disputes involving a child's biological parents. As most people can imagine, these types of disputes are very common here in North Carolina and across the nation. But as some of our Raleigh readers know, these aren't the only types of custody disputes that can occur in our state and country. Take for example a recent child custody case that occurred to our west in Lexington. The courts in this case needed to tackle a difficult third-party dispute between the children's stepmother, who lives here in the U.S., and their aunt and uncle, who live in Ireland. Because both of the children's parents had died, the courts needed to establish custody, dealing with both domestic and international custody laws in the process. Based on North Carolina custody laws, the children's stepmother did have the right to seek custody after their mother and father had passed away. But … [Read more...]