Today, the Louisiana Fifth Circuit vacated a child custody judgment after finding the trial court failed to enter a legally sufficient custody order under Louisiana law.
One line from the opinion says it all:
“Without a domiciliary parent, and without more defined allocations of legal authority and responsibility, the family is left without enforceable guidance.”
The Court held that simply telling parents to communicate is not enough. If a court orders joint custody, it must either:
- Designate a domiciliary parent,
- Explain why there is good cause not to do so, or
- Issue a detailed implementation order that clearly defines parental authority and responsibility.
Proud to have represented Danielle Crovetto in this appeal.