North Carolina court backs review process after father demands $3,000 for children's overseas trips

A father who demanded $3,000 or extra custody days before allowing his former wife to take their children abroad for a holiday was acting out of personal frustration rather than putting the children's best interests first, a court has found. The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled on 4 November 2026 that a parenting coordinator had the legal authority to step in and create an independent review process for international travel requests. The decision ended a long-running disagreement between the divorced parents.

In Fey v. Fey (Docket No. COA26-375), the court explained how North Carolina handles repeated disagreements between parents over children's overseas trips.

Judge Valerie Zachary wrote the opinion for the three-judge appeals panel, which upheld the trial court's decision approving the coordinator's travel rules.