U.S. Top Court Rules For Army Father In Custody Battle

[Purveyor]

WASHINGTON, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court sided with an American father on Tuesday in an international custody dispute over a girl who has been living outside the country under a lower court order.

By a 9-0 vote, the court ruled that U.S. Army Sergeant Jeffrey Chafin had a right to seek custody of his 6-year-old daughter, Eris, who had been taken to Scotland by her mother, Lynne Chafin, a Scottish national.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had dismissed Jeffrey Chafin's appeal, saying the issue was moot because the girl by then was already in Scotland and beyond its control.

The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the appeals court should have considered the merits of Jeffrey Chafin's claim.

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http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/thomson-reuters/130219/update-1-us-top-court-rules-army-father-custody-battle