Stepmom Spat Sparks ‘Tween Suit Against Dad Over School Trip; Appeal Planned

Family Law

Stepmom Spat Sparks ‘Tween Suit Against Dad Over School Trip; Appeal Planned

Posted Jun 19, 2008, 04:44 pm CST
By Martha Neil

A 12-year-old in Quebec successfully sued her father to win permission to go on a three-day trip celebrating her final year in elementary school with classmates. But he is reportedly appealing in an effort to win a victory for parental rights, even though, at this point, she has already gone on the trip.

The unusual case was sparked by an argument between the 12-year-old and her stepmother, which led her father, who has legal custody, to say she couldn't go on the trip as punishment, reports Reuters. The girl then moved in with her mother and retained a lawyer, who says she brought the suit as a last resort after negotiations with the dad on her client's behalf went nowhere, according to the news agency.

Under Canadian law, even the custodial parent doesn't have an absolute say in what a child can and cannot do, explains Miriam Grassby, a Montreal family lawyer.

Counters Kim Beaudoin, the lawyer representing the girl's father, "It's dangerous to let kids play their parents. They have to learn to respect rules."

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