Former NBA star Allen Iverson played for Denver Nuggets, the Detroit Pistons, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers, winning many awards over the course of his career until he retired in 2010. He was also divorced that year from his wife and the mother of his five children, but it appears he won’t be winning any awards for positive co-parenting this year.
Iverson’s ex-wife has filed a legal enforcement action against the former point guard claiming that he has violated the couple’s child custody and visitation orders. He says essentially abducted the five children, as she has sole legal custody and he has refused to return the kids after his visitation.
According to the ex-wife, Iverson obtained her permission to take the kids, who range in age from 3 to 16, on a five-day vacation to Charlotte, North Carolina. He was to return the children on May 26, but he never did, she says. It is not clear whether she has been in contact with Iverson, but another return date was scheduled for June 4. Apparently, he missed that date as well.
The mother told the court that she suspects that Iverson and the kids are in a Georgia hotel. Besides the frustration of dealing with the legal issues involved in enforcement of child custody and visitation orders, she says she is worried about their safety. Iverson, she says, is an alcoholic and drinks around the children.
If these allegations are true, in Massachusetts and many other states, Iverson could be charged with contempt of court for violating the custody and visitation orders. That could result in a substantial fine, reconsideration of his visitation rights, especially when they involve going out of state, or even jail time if he should refuse to comply with the court’s order. No such order has been issued against Iverson yet.
Child abduction by non-custodial parents is, unfortunately, all too common. Hopefully, Iverson’s intentions are innocent and he will return his children shortly. If you are ever in a position where your court-ordered visitation arrangements aren’t working for you, the legal way to resolve the problem is to seek a modification of that court order — not just grab the kids and let the chips fall where they may.
Source: Fox Sports, “Ex-wife: Iverson abducted their kids,” June 17, 2013
