BCLP team triumphs in international parental child abduction case

BCLP recently achieved a significant victory in a Hague Convention case, successfully reuniting a father with his child who was wrongfully taken from Mexico to the United States. A team from BCLP’s Kansas City office acted swiftly and effectively, securing a court order for the child’s return to Mexico and further solidifying our commitment to tackling the most critical social justice issues around the globe.  

The Hague Attorney Network, a nationwide all-volunteer network of attorneys working in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, provides pro bono and reduced-fee legal representation to qualified low-income applicants in incoming Hague Convention return and access cases. In March 2024, BCLP was approached by the Hague Convention Attorney Network to handle an application under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction from a father seeking the return of his child to Mexico. BCLP attorneys eagerly stepped in to provide legal representation to the father, as he had not seen his child since 2022 prior to the team’s involvement.

Given the urgent nature of international parental child abduction cases with just weeks to months from client engagement to full disposition, the team conducted thorough client interviews and promptly drafted and filed a petition for the child’s return. After presenting evidence and argument in front of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas, the judge ruled in our client’s favor, issuing an order for the child to be returned to Mexico effective immediately. The reunion of father and child followed shortly thereafter, marking a successful resolution to the case.

The BCLP team was led by Associates Grace Colato Martinez, Courtney Stout and Partner Jennifer Berhorst with support from Associates Mike Montoya and Addison Schlatter, Paralegal Alexis Gonzalez, and Secretary Molly Forge. This victory marks the second success for Partner Jennifer Berhorst and Associate Grace Colato Martinez in handling child abduction cases under the Hague Convention.