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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman accused of fleeing Kansas and taking her children to Russia amid a divorce has been charged with international parental kidnapping.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman accused of fleeing Kansas and taking her children to Russia amid a divorce has been charged with international parental kidnapping. Read More »

Man Sentenced to Prison for International Parental Kidnapping

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Maryland man was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for international parental kidnapping. Read More »

Notion of Custody according to the Russian Law

The mother is the legal representative of her son. In accordance with Art. 52 Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation, Articles 26, 28 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Chapter 12 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, she has all rights to make any decisions with respect to her child without the permission of the father or any guardianship authorities. De facto it means that she has Sole Legal Custody over her child. Read More »

Paternity of Russian child

I, KARINA DUVALL, attorney, of Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, affirm that:

1. I am an attorney admitted to practice law in the Russian Federation in 1999. I have over 15 years of high-level experience in the Matrimonial, Family and Civil Law of the Russian Federation as well as in International Law.

2. I am also licensed by the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York as a legal consultant on Russian law, pursuant to Section 53(6) of the Judiciary Law of the State of New York, as limited by Part 521 of the Rules of the New York State Court of Appeals, and in accordance with the Rules of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department.

3. I am often called upon to testify in United States and Canadian courts as an expert on Russian law. Documents evidencing my right to practice law in the Russian Federation and New York are attached. My clients are individuals of all nations who need expertise in Russian law. I specialize in Family and International Private Law and my area of expertise is complex multi-jurisdictional family and matrimonial cases.

4. I am the respondent’s attorney in Russia, and as such have personal knowledge of the facts hereinafter deposed to except where those facts are stated to be based on information and belief, in which case I verily believe the same to be true.

5. I was retained by father as his attorney in Russia. The father explained how a recent DNA test was done in Germany and a child, a Russian National, was confirmed to be his child. The father explained how he was now seeking his parental rights to his child through a court order as amicable discussions with the mother of his child, had failed on many attempts. I reviewed all documentation and confirmed that the first step required would be to obtain a court order to have his name put on the child's birth certificate.

6. On December 2017, prior to submitting anything to the St. Petersburg courts and as an... Read More »

Incorrected service is a reason to vacate the court order.

The orders which was made by the British court clearly contradict the public order of the Russian Federation and international law in general (in particular, they come into gross contradiction with the Hague Convention of 1965), since the party against which the order was taken was deprived of the opportunity to know about the hearing, to appear to the court, and to defense her own rights and rights of her daughter. Read More »