We are often asked at what age a child can decide which parent the child wants to live with in a child custody dispute.
There is a misconception that once a child turns the age of 14 (or some similar age), the child’s choice controls the outcome. This is not correct under Ohio child custody laws.
Ohio child custody laws provide that the wishes of the child are to be considered by the Court when making a child custody order, however, the child's wishes are not determinative. There are approximately ten (10) different factors that a Court must consider in allocating the parenting rights in a child custody dispute.
Essentially, the child’s decision controls upon the child attaining the age of 18, when the child becomes an adult.
For further questions regarding this issue, please call Bailey & Gunderson Co., L.P.A. at 631-0022, with offices in Norwood, Western Hills and Anderson Township.
