VALENTINE & ECCLES

In the matter of Valentine & Eccles, heard before Judge Bender, the dispute concerned an application by the Mother for permission to relocate with the parties' two children, X and Y, to a country overseas. The Father opposed this application.

The court was required to determine whether to grant the Mother's application for relocation. This involved considering the best interests of the children, X and Y, in light of the proposed move and the existing parental responsibilities and arrangements.

Judge Bender dismissed the Mother's application to relocate the children overseas. The court discharged all previous parenting orders and established equal shared parental responsibility for X and Y. The children were ordered to live with the Mother, with specific provisions for the Father to spend time and communicate with them, including alternate weekends, mid-week time that varied as the children aged, half of school holidays, and a week-about arrangement for the long summer vacation. Further orders detailed arrangements for birthdays, Father's Day, and Mother's Day, as well as communication protocols and the exchange of information regarding the children's health and schooling.