Opinion ID: 2090464
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: temporary removal prior to ruling on permanent removal discouraged

Text: We note that the instant case was not a typical removal case in that at the time of the trial on the mother's motion to modify to permit permanent removal of the children from the state, the mother and the children had already been living outside the state for 1 year on the basis of the district court's earlier order granting temporary permission to remove. The evidence at trial was necessarily composed of facts pertaining to the period prior to the temporary relocation to Pittsburgh as well as the results of the mother's and the children's experience during their year in Pittsburgh. As a result of the grant of temporary removal, consideration of their year in Pittsburgh with respect to the legitimacy of the permanent move and the best interests of the children was unavoidable. Further, as a result of the grant of temporary removal, a denial by the district court of the mother's request to permanently remove would have required the children to make a move back to Omaha 1 year after having moved and adapted to their new location in Pittsburgh. The grant of temporary permission to remove children to another jurisdiction complicates matters and makes more problematic the subsequent ruling on permanent removal and encumbers appellate evaluation of the ultimate decision on permanent removal. Accordingly, we discourage trial courts from granting temporary permission to remove children to another jurisdiction prior to a ruling on permanent removal and instead encourage them to promptly conduct a full hearing on permanent removal.