In this day and age, it is reality that many people hate to live in New Jersey. In my opinion the major reason why people hate to live here is because of the very high property taxes which are the highest in the United States. These high property taxes simply make it very hard for a middle class person to survive in New Jersey. The rents are inflated because the landlords have to pay these high property taxes. Moreover, in New Jersey a months' worth of property taxes equals or even exceed a monthly mortgage payment for many other U.S. citizens who live in a less expensive state. Therefore, for a newly divorced person the prospect of home ownership is only a far-fetched dream.

Given these harsh realities, once a couple gets a divorce, and they have to obtain separate households, all too often one spouse has to seriously consider moving out of the Garden State. I am stuck in New Jersey, and I am used to it. However, who could blame someone from wanting to leave. Political corruption is rampant all throughout the cities and local towns. No one can control the ever increasing property tax dilemma. Local school boards and teachers who are the main cause of high property taxes all they care about are their salaries, pensions, and health care, and they don't want to make any concessions. Consequently, many people simply can't make it in New Jersey and they are forced to leave.

A custodial parent(s) may only relocate only if he or she has the consent of the former spouse. Alternatively, the relocating spouse must obtain a court order to permit the move. The purpose of this law is to preserve the rights of the non-custodial parent and the child to maintain and develop their familial relationship. This mutual right of the child and the non-custodial parent is usually achieved by means of a parenting plan. Because the removal of the child from the state may seriously affect the parenting schedule of the non-custodial parent, the courts require the custodial parent to show why the move should be permitted.

The custodial parent must show both good faith in making the move and that the relocation will not be contrary to the child's interest. Our Supreme Court in the Baures v. Lewis, 167 N.J. 91 (2001), decision has delineated twelve factors that must be considered to determine whether the custodial parent has proven good faith and that the move will not adversely affect the child's interest. These factors are as follows:

Absolutely not. Many divorce litigants are very ignorant about New Jersey's removal laws. The removal of children of parents who are divorced or separated to another state is not permitted without court authorization unless both parents consent. The parents can always mutually agree to permit removal. However, if there is no mutual consent amongst the parties, then New Jersey places strict limits on the ability of a custodial parent to remove the children from New Jersey.

In general, the removal of the children from this State by a custodial parent is governed by N.J.S.A. 9:2-2, which provides in pertinent part:

The court will set the removal case down for a case management hearing. At this hearing, the lawyers for the parties will meet with the judge, and the discuss a discovery plan and set any deadlines. The parties will then be ordered to exchange their discovery. The discovery will consist of any proofs that will be submitted at the plenary hearing. Some relevant proofs are a comparison of the school districts, pictures of the new home, information about the new home, a reasonable proposed visitation plan, and psychological reports. Finally, the court will encourage the parties to try to reach an amicable settlement.

In many removal cases, the court will also order that a family psychologist be appointed to prepare an evaluation report. In most cases, the court will order that the parties split the costs of the retainer fee to hire the psychologist. The family psychologist normally charges between $5,000 to $7,500 to prepare a report and to testify at court.

The psychologist will then interview the child, the parents, the extended family members, review all of the school records, and any other relevant evidence. Thereafter, the psychologist will prepare a written report and give his professional opinion as to whether the removal of the child out of New Jersey is in the "best interests of the child."

After the discovery is completed and the psychologist's expert report are submitted, the court will set the case down for a plenary hearing. In some removal cases, the hearing case will be held in one afternoon session. However, in many other removal cases, the hearing can consist of several court sessions. Please keep in mind that the New Jersey family courts are overwhelmed. In many removal cases, a judge may be only able to hear a few hours of testimony even though the parties have been in court waiting all day. The family court judges have many other cases that they have to hear each day. Consequently, it is almost impossible for a family court judge to hear a removal case on a continuous basis. This makes it very difficult for the parties, and it also increases the cost of the litigation. Lawyers always have to charge for their waiting time.

The non-custodial parent may want to produce the following proofs and information to the court at any plenary hearing:

To fight a motion for a removal you have to really prepare a strong defense. The best way to defend against a removal case is to prepare your case as thoroughly as possible. The opposing party should try to demonstrate that the moving parent has not thought the matter through carefully, and that the removal is not in the child's best interest. The opposing party will have to prove to the court that the parent seeking to move has not carefully thought out the ramifications of moving. Moreover, you will also have to prove that the moving parent has not fully considered the children's needs. Below are some important areas of proof that must be considered in any removal case.

If you have been forced to file a motion to enforce your visitation rights, then this motion should be the centerpiece of your case. If there have been any contempt orders that were issued against your ex-spouse, then you should make a poster of it and give it to the court. Moreover, if you had a parenting coordinator, and if your ex-spouse did not cooperate with the parenting coordinator, then this can be crucial evidence in any removal case. If there is evidence that your ex-spouse ignored court orders in the past, then you can argue that there is no proof that he or she will comply with any future court orders. You can paint your ex-spouse as a person who does not respect the court, and that he or she is being manipulative of the system.

A common tactic that is often used by a difficult custodial parent is to move out of New Jersey. Consequently, the non-custodial parent will then be separated from the child. For the scheming custodial parent, this has many benefits: it becomes more difficult for the non-custodial parent to exercise visitation. Moreover, it will make it very difficult and more expensive for the non-custodial parent to obtain relief through the family court for any interference with visitation rights. A removal also isolates the child from the non-custodial parent. Thus, the child is much more susceptible to Parental Alienation Syndrome.

It is important to defend against a removal application as vigorously as possible. Don't assume that your ex-spouse will automatically prevail in her removal case. If your ex-spouse wants to relocate to the Philadelphia region or to New York City area, then in my assessment it would be a waste of your time to contest a removal case. Moreover, if the removal application only proposes a move that is within four or five hours from New Jersey, then in the majority of the case the court will permit the removal. The more "Dicey" removal cases are when the custodial parent proposes to move to Florida or to another state that requires air transportation. The key issue any removal case is whether the non-custodial parent can maintain a reasonable parenting plan after the removal. Obviously, the closer the children are, then the easier it will be able to achieve this goal. Therefore, proposed removals to Florida, North Carolina, or other states that require air transportation to get there are much more difficult for a court to decide.

If the court allows the removal, then in most cases it will require the party who is moving to pay more of the transportation costs related to visitation. The potential travel costs caused by any removal case must be raised as an issue in any plenary hearing. Travel costs are very high in today's world especially now that the cost of gas is $4 a gallon if not more. Moreover, the price of air travel has also skyrocketed based on increased fuel charges, and for heightened security concerns. Information about potential airfare costs should be presented to the court. You should print out the costs of potential airfare from the airline web sites. At least this information will give the court a general idea as to the travel costs that will be incurred if the removal is granted.

There is no standard parenting plan that the court orders if it grants a removal application. Each parenting plan that the court imposes is decided on a case by case basis. However, in a typical removal case non-custodial parent is granted parenting time during the fall break, spring break, Christmas vacation, and during the summer vacation period. Additionally, most courts order the parties to install web-cams on their computers, and to sign up for cable-based phone systems. The courts want to encourage the children to communicate with parent in New Jersey as much as possible.