Opinion ID: 1980309
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Superior Court enforcement order.

Text: On February 24, 1997, after Mr. Bliss failed to comply with the Russian custody order to return physical custody of Nikita to her, Ms. Bliss filed a petition in Superior Court asking for enforcement of the Russian custody order pursuant to D.C.Code § 16-4523. After a two-day hearing on March 24 and 26, 1997 attended by both parties, the Superior Court issued a decision enforcing the Russian custody order, finding that Mr. Bliss had in fact been afforded procedural due process, and that the law and analysis applied by the Russian courts substantially accorded with District of Columbia law because both jurisdictions' statutes were rooted in the best interests of the child standard. In particular, the court noted that Mr. Bliss had conceded that he had reasonable notice, and that Mr. Bliss's failure to appear personally in Russia for the hearings was volitionally made and not due to impossibility. [9] Finally, the court found that Mr. Bliss had made no additional effort to present his testimony in the Russian court by means other than a personal appearance, such as giving testimony via videotape or teleconference. [10] In addition to directing Mr. Bliss to transfer physical custody of Nikita to his wife, the trial court ordered Mr. Bliss to pay all of his wife's attorney's fees and costs incurred in traveling to the District of Columbia to enforce the Russian custody decree pursuant to D.C.Code § 16-4515(d). After both parties filed submissions to the court, Mr. Bliss was directed to pay attorney's fees in the amount of $8,102 and other expenses in the amount of $1,586.60.