Hello, everyone. This is my first post and I am in desperate need of help.
Three years ago, my ex and I split. I was 19 and I was moving to another state, and I didn't think I could handle taking my daughter and dealing with her and trying to find a new job, so I decided it was in her best interest to stay with her father. At the time, her father didn't have any rights to her whatsoever. We weren't married, he wasn't on the birth certificate, I had sole legal and physical custody. About two years ago, I ran into a rough patch financially and Chris ran into a rough patch getting my daughter into school, so he made a deal with me. I was to ammend the birth certificate and sign over temporary custody until I was on my feet. Chris had a lawyer draw up the paperwork, and I didn't even have a lawyer read it, because I couldn't afford even that. So, I signed the paperwork.
It turns out, that paperwork was me signing over all forms of custody, and not temporarily. Now, Chris has changed his phone number, address, and has cut off all contact between me and my daughter. I do have visitation of her, but he doesn't hold up to that. He has decided that one fifteen minute phone call a month and a one hour visit a month is more than reasonable (I'm in Colorado, he's in California), though I have to wait until his parents call me on a weekend they have her. They still go some months without calling me, even when I bug them with emails about wanting to speak to her.
There is much more to the situation, but I already feel that I'm on the verge of slandering and I REALLY don't want to do that. I haven't seen my daughter in three years, as it's been impossible to find out where she is, and I simply cannot afford to travel to Cali, and they will not bring her to me or meet me in the middle. I have been begging for joint custody for the last year since I've gotten on my feet, and I'm being met with a brick wall. As I cannot afford a lawyer, I was hoping that somebody could point me in the direction of how to go about filing for joint custody on my own, and if anybody had an inkling of my percentage of success.
Three years ago, my ex and I split. I was 19 and I was moving to another state, and I didn't think I could handle taking my daughter and dealing with her and trying to find a new job, so I decided it was in her best interest to stay with her father. At the time, her father didn't have any rights to her whatsoever. We weren't married, he wasn't on the birth certificate, I had sole legal and physical custody. About two years ago, I ran into a rough patch financially and Chris ran into a rough patch getting my daughter into school, so he made a deal with me. I was to ammend the birth certificate and sign over temporary custody until I was on my feet. Chris had a lawyer draw up the paperwork, and I didn't even have a lawyer read it, because I couldn't afford even that. So, I signed the paperwork.
It turns out, that paperwork was me signing over all forms of custody, and not temporarily. Now, Chris has changed his phone number, address, and has cut off all contact between me and my daughter. I do have visitation of her, but he doesn't hold up to that. He has decided that one fifteen minute phone call a month and a one hour visit a month is more than reasonable (I'm in Colorado, he's in California), though I have to wait until his parents call me on a weekend they have her. They still go some months without calling me, even when I bug them with emails about wanting to speak to her.
There is much more to the situation, but I already feel that I'm on the verge of slandering and I REALLY don't want to do that. I haven't seen my daughter in three years, as it's been impossible to find out where she is, and I simply cannot afford to travel to Cali, and they will not bring her to me or meet me in the middle. I have been begging for joint custody for the last year since I've gotten on my feet, and I'm being met with a brick wall. As I cannot afford a lawyer, I was hoping that somebody could point me in the direction of how to go about filing for joint custody on my own, and if anybody had an inkling of my percentage of success.