Wisconsin Father Wins International Custody Case

A father from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has won an international child custody case that could reunite the man with his daughter in time for Christmas, The Associated Press reported.

The young girl is currently living in Japan with her mother, Emiko Inoue, who recently pleaded no contest to interfering with child custody in Milwaukee County Circuit Court and agreed to return Karina Garcia to Wisconsin, according to the news outlet.

Because of Japan’s lack of membership in an international compact on child abduction, the girl’s return to Wisconsin represents a landmark case for children taken to the Asian nation and returned with legal intervention.

The mother had originally fled to Japan in February 2008, shortly after her husband Moises Garcia had filed for divorce. The trial brought the mother to the U.S. and the girl is currently living with her maternal grandparents in Japan.

WSAW.com reported that Moises had fought for three years to get his daughter back, and the plea deal ensured that the charges against Emiko would be reduced to a misdemeanor as long as the child was returned by Christmas.

Read Related Articles: Tips To Prevent International Child Abduction and The Effects of Child Abduction On Fathers