Can Grandparents Legally Force Visitation With Grandkids In NY?

There are a lot of family situations that end up with grandparents raising their child's kids. I was watching the "Love Kills" channel on Roku, and there was a story about a Jehovah's Witness family that was pretty startling. The 'Deadly Devotion - Shunned No More' episode tells the story of Robert Bryant.

The son of a church elder, Bryant also became an elder and started to question the church's stance on rape. To make a long story short, the church allegedly shut down his desire to protect women who were victims of sexual assault. This decision angered him, so he took his family and moved out west. However, his parents were unrelenting. SPOILER on the way!!

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Credit: HBO Max via Youtube

Bryant's parents were super pressed to take his kids, their grandkids, away from him. They claimed that because he removed the children from the church, he was putting them at risk. Even with a move across the country, they would not stop pursuing the kids. Ultimately, Bryant slaughtered his family - the kids and his wife - to avoid his parents gaining control of their grandkids.

Are Grandparents Legally Entitled To See Their Grandkids In NY?

According to Stephen Bilkis and Associates, "Grandparents are not automatically entitled to custody. Courts prefer for children to stay with their parents, if possible. There are circumstances in which a grandparent would have standing to petition for custody."

There are so many circumstances that could influence a court's decision. Since we are discussing visitation, not custody, the courts would have different factors to consider. Parents should have the right to manage who interacts with their children, but grandparents do have a vested interest.

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Per LegalCarity.com, "In New York, the legal foundation for grandparents’ visitation rights is primarily established under Domestic Relations Law 72. The law balances grandparents’ rights with parents’ rights to raise their children without undue interference."

***This article does not provide legal advice or counsel

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